Game day at Ole Miss means extensive safety plans to keep everyone safe
University of Mississippi PD coordinates safety operations with agencies from across the state every home game
OXFORD, MISS. (WCBI) – Before the well-known chant is heard inside the stadium, or the first play is called, the University of Mississippi Police Department, along with other agencies, maps out a game day safety plan.
“We can’t do this by ourselves, so we use other sworn personnel throughout the state to help assist, and work closely with Oxford PD, Lafayette Sheriff, EMS, Highway Patrol, EMS and Fire, and emergency management partners,” said Capt. Jesse Richards, with The University of Mississippi Police Department.
And although this is the first December Saturday home football game, Capt. Richards recalls that, in his 17 years with the department, the nuts and bolts of the safety plan are similar to other home games. Everything is coordinated and monitored through an Emergency Operations Center, located just off campus.
‘We have every monitor active, camera systems, around campus, as well as in the city and on highways,” Cap
A typical home game requires anywhere from 75 to 100 officers, not including those on their regular shift at the University Police. So the university uses certified officers from other agencies to work games.
Captain Richards said having a large number of police on campus helps with various calls in the stadium and the Grove, and it’s also a strong deterrent.
“We strategically place people at the stadium for that, and not only that, but to be visible, watching, looking for things that shouldn’t be brought into the stadium.”
Although post-game traffic is one way, anytime 70,000 or so people leave a game at the same time, it is bound to create some congestion. So the best advice is, be patient and don’t be in a hurry.
“While Oxford is growing, infrastructure is not conducive to that number of people or vehicles, so traffic flow is always an issue, we manage to keep it continuously flowing”
Also, Captain Richards points out that anyone wanting to fly a drone on university property during a home game, must get prior approval.
And we want to point out that as a certified officer, Allie often works the Ole Miss games as a temporary officer for their department.
