University Police are preparing for possible riots when the Terrapin men’s basketball team plays at Duke University Jan. 26 – the first day of Spring semester classes.
Students have rioted in the past following a number of games against one of the university’s biggest rivals, causing destruction to parts of the campus and city.
Officers from state and county police agencies will assist University Police in trying to prevent any potential postgame riot activities, said University Police spokeswoman Maj. Cathy Atwell.
“We will have a series of planning meetings to share information and tactics on who will be responsible for which areas,” she said.
It is hard to anticipate how students will react, but police hope for a positive celebration if the university wins, Atwell said.
University Police have already mobilized once this school year for the home football game against Florida State University Oct. 30. Despite the Terps’ 20-17 victory, university students made no attempts to riot in the city and returned peacefully to their rooms.
University Police will not release the exact number or location of officers for this type of mobilization, Atwell said.
Following the Florida State game, two helicopters circled in the sky, one shining a bright beam onto Fraternity Row, where students have gathered in the past after big games.
There were also mounted police and dozens of officers lined up along Fraternity Row wearing full riot gear, including helmets, face shields, chest and back protectors and full-body shields, said University Police Maj. Jim Hamrick, who works in the support services bureau.
University Police officers will also be equipped with pepper spray, and state police officers might have tear gas, he said.
“We’ve got some riot extinguishers,” Hamrick said. “They’re about the size of a fire extinguisher and have the ability of delivering pepper spray in high volumes for a riot-type situation.”
For last year’s away game at Duke in Durham, N.C., police also prepared for a possible riot.
“Historically, we’ve never had a problem with behavior after Maryland’s victories at home,” Atwell said. “Away games have been more difficult.”
The cold weather in January makes a difference in terms of how long students stay outside after the game has ended, she said. Crime during winter break tends to decrease because most of the campus population does not live in College Park.
However, this year’s game falls on the first day of Spring semester classes.
“It makes it important for us to plan because it is after school has started,” Atwell said.
After the Terps’ victory over Duke in March to win their first ACC Tournament title in 20 years, students congregated on Route 1 and started fires to celebrate the victory.
Students also rioted in 2001 after the Terps lost to Duke in the Final Four, causing an estimated $500,000 worth of damage to the city, and again in 2002 following the Terps’ first national championship, causing more damage to the city.
