IU Police Department officers Joshua Sung and Johnny Goode arrived at Assembly Hall a few hours before the IU men’s basketball game started Wednesday night. They stood in a corner of the north lobby next to the trophy case, out of the way and watching closely.
Though they often stay behind the scenes, a large police and security presence is essential to making campus events like football and basketball games run smoothly, IUPD Capt. Andy Stephenson said.
“It takes most of our police force, whether directly or indirectly, to police events like this,” Stephenson said. “There’s a lot of planning before the season starts just to make sure every assignment is covered and everything remains consistent.”
About 25 officers are stationed inside Assembly Hall, Stephenson said. Officers protect each entrance, both teams and the game officials, and also roam around the arena. IUPD’s K-9 Unit, Officer Chris Collins and tracking dog Tery, also police the arena.
“I’m usually positioned down on the court, and I like working down there,” Sung said. “You definitely get a good view of the game while you’re working.”
Sung and Goode kept their positions near the back of the north lobby. As students and other spectators began flooding through the doors, the two officers watched everyone who came through security to find their seats. Every time a large group of people went by, they looked a little closer.
They watch for anything out of the ordinary, Sung said. Huge coats in warm weather, extremely baggy clothing and people who look nervous can all be signs that put officers on alert.
Sung and Goode also keep an eye on the ticket office and the merchandise stands in the lobby.
“Shoplifting could very easily become an issue,” Goode said. “Anywhere money is being exchanged is a potential problem area for us.”
This is just one of many potential concerns the officers keep in mind all night. Sung and Goode pay attention to excessively drunk spectators, dangerous behavior in the student section, medical emergencies and plan for scenarios such as an active shooter, Sung said.
EMTs and paramedics are positioned throughout the building as well, Stephenson said.
“We want to let people have fun, and usually our presence alone helps make people act right,” Sung said. “But the people causing problems for everyone else, they definitely get our attention really fast.”
Assembly Hall is also staffed by IU Event Services employees, as well as ESG Security and Event Services. ESG security guards serve as a first line of defense as people enter the building, ESG President Mike Rose said.
It can take hundreds of people working on game day to keep an event safe, Rose said. ESG and IU Event Services coordinate to help escort people into the building, search them, secure the locker rooms and maintain crowd control.
“Every resource we have is thrown at keeping this place safe,” Rose said. “At big sporting events, the people you’re dealing with are often fanatics. To keep everything under control, your plan has to be airtight.”
While the game gets underway inside the arena, officers are busy outside Assembly Hall as well.
Officers from IUPD, Bloomington Police Department, Ellettsville Police Department and the Monroe County Sherriff’s Office are stationed throughout the parking lot and at each nearby intersection to control traffic, Stephenson said.
Traffic policing is one of the most important roles the police play on game day, Stephenson said.
“IUPD puts up flares, cones and barricades all over the place just to try to help people figure out where they can drive,” Goode said. “People are running late and in a hurry to get in, or they’re just trying to drive home and get stuck in the game traffic pattern, and everyone starts getting stressed out and impatient.”
Officers on shift who aren’t working the game also pay attention to places nearby where people celebrating might get into trouble, Sung said.
Wednesday was a quiet night for Goode and Sung. An elderly man fell and hit his head, prompting a response from IUPD, EMTs and the Bloomington Fire Department.
But for the majority of the game, Goode and Sung quietly stayed on guard.
At the end of the game, the officers start preparing again for the surge of people leaving. Students rushing the court and creating a mob also sits at the front of their minds, Sung said.
“We enjoy signing up to work the games, because it’s an exciting environment,” Goode said. “But at the end of the day, it’s just another place where we’re doing our job.”
