U. Police prepared for Relays carnival

This weekend, nearly 100,000 competitors from all over the world will descend upon Franklin Field for the largest and most prestigious track and field meet in the world -- the Penn Relays. And nearly 23,000 competitors will battle tirelessly in the hopes of victory, fighting their way towards the finish line as their physical limits are tested. But to at least one campus group, the only prerequisite for success this weekend is that both the competitors and the spectators that come to cheer them on stay out of trouble. University Police officials say that they will be deploying a strategic force of officers, Spectaguards and other security staff to ensure that the Relays weekend goes smoothly and sees little crime. Specifically, police say that they would like to replicate the conditions of last year, which was hailed as one of the most crime-free Relays in recent memory. To do so, they'll be relying on information and logistical plans from past years to ensure success this time around. "Like all of our other special events we have developed plans over the years that work, and we critique those plans at the end of each event," University Police Chief Maureen Rush said. "We tweak and fine-tune anything that we think might work better in the future." To prepare for an event as large as the Relays, the University Police will be relying on assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department and several other law enforcement agencies to ensure that participants are safe and no laws are violated. "We've been working with the same Penn Relays plan for the last two years, which includes using resources from Spectaguard, the Philadelphia Police and other agencies," Rush said. In past years, the Relays were known for standstill traffic congestion, massive amounts of trash and a number of serious crimes -- including numerous robberies over the years and a carjacking in 1994. In 1998, the normally 24-hour Wawa convenience store on Spruce Street was closed briefly after a riot broke out among patrons in the early morning hours. But with the new measures in effect and the area's serious crime rate down, Rush predicted that the toughest problem police will face this year will be dealing with the congestion that surrounds campus throughout the four-day event. "The biggest challenge with Penn Relays hasn't been the event inside, but rather what happens out on the street," she said. "We've been fortunate in the last couple of years," Rush added. "Before we came up with this particular plan, we had problems in past years with more serious crimes and that has been curtailed in the last two years along with a growth in security and event staffing." Police will be also dedicating additional resources to crowd control, working to alleviate noise problems in the area of Franklin Field and clearing up congestion that has traditionally brought the flow of traffic to a stop. And to combat the growing problem of counterfeiting and scalping, the University Police will be examining the issue more closely as they bring in some reinforcements from the federal government. "There are going to be U.S. Marshals here again this year," Rush said. "They'll be looking at counterfeit shirts and other illegal uses of the Penn logo."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.