Police protect players and fans

Utah State University’s athletic events are more than just displays of athletic ability; they’re gatherings uniting fans, athletes and coaches. Behind the scenes, a collaboration between USU campus police and the athletic department ensures the safety of all attendees.  

Erik Christensen, administrative sergeant for USU campus police,  explained the delicate balance between providing security measures while maintaining minimal intrusion.   

“We don’t want to be obtrusive, but for a football game, for instance, it’s a massive process with lots of moving parts, so we do a lot of intel every week,” Christensen said.   

Regular intelligence work, focusing on threat assessment and preparation, forms the cornerstone of the proactive approach, allowing them to foresee potential risks and devise effective strategies to mitigate them.  

DJ Eckman, assistant athletic director for operations, elaborated on the athletic department’s role in ensuring security. His main objectives are to take care of teams and officials and work with officers on the field to mitigate any threats. 

Other roles of the department include overseeing bomb sweeps, maintaining NCAA standards and ensuring fan compliance with policies.

Months of meticulous planning precede each athletic event, especially football. During the months before a home football game, the security team gathers intel that can help them determine how much security will be needed and predict any major threats. Reaching out to the other teams and sharing any relevant information, including any controversies or threats the opposing team has received, is the next step.   

During the week of the football game, the team focuses more on what is happening in the community and the expectations of that specific game.   

The directive, a list of people working the game, gets all the people that are involved into a room together and discuss necessary information such as if a bathroom is out of service, because there would be more people congregated around the other bathrooms.   

After gathering all the information, a threat assessment is created. Christensen is well-informed in the realm of data analytics and uses that to help predict what is going to happen in these games.   

He has taken all the accidents, alcohol offenses and everything that has happened in past games and put them through a correlation matrix. The matrix uses shading to indicate the severity of an effect.

“In some of these darker ones, that means it has much more of an effect than the others. So, we look for the darkest squares, and notice that when the weather is colder, people keep to themselves more,” Christensen said.

This type of intelligence helps the teams prepare for each event by determining the odds of any threats or disturbances that may occur and how they will plan accordingly.  

Using these analytics also helps with the physical security of the game. Christensen explained the security of a home football game can be compared to concentric rings; the security increases as you travel to the center.   

In the outer ring is the hotel where the opposing team is staying. Security will screen the buses there and escort the team to the secure zone, Maverik Stadium.   

The next level is gate security. Ticket office takers, USU officers, surveillance cameras and plainclothes officers in the audience are on the ground taking note of any potential threats.   

The innermost level of security is in the “sterile zone.” This includes the players, coaches and security officers that are down on the field.   

Security also utilizes the USU drone team and infrared cameras throughout the game.   

Contingency plans stand ready, ensuring swift responses to any unforeseen circumstances without compromising safety.   

“We always try to have every possible scenario planned so that if we get into the heat of something, we already know what we are going to do,” Christensen said.   

When asked about his favorite part about his job, Christensen said, “I am an Aggie through and through, and it’s important to have all these experiences and do it safely. And I’m glad to do my part to make it a safe experience for families.”