Law enforcement prepares for crowds as Final Four fever builds

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Tucson-area law enforcement is preparing for potentially rowdy crowds as the Wildcats play in the Final Four on Saturday.

“Saturday evening, you will see enhanced law enforcement presence both on University Boulevard, Congress, and Fourth Avenue,” said Tucson Police Department Capt. Lauren Pettey.

Pettey is in charge of NCAA safety planning and said officers will be prepared with riot gear in case things do get out of hand.

“We wanna be able to ensure that everyone is able to celebrate in a safe manner, and in order to do that, we want to provide enhanced law enforcement measures and have additional resources out and about,” Pettey said.

The enhanced security is in response to violent riots that happened downtown in 2001 following Arizona’s loss to Duke in the national title game and in 2014 following the Wildcats’ Elite Eight loss to Wisconsin.

Fans showed their frustration with the losses by congregating on the streets, setting cars on fire, and throwing bottles and cans at officers.

Bar and restaurant owners said they’re aware of those past riots.

“We don’t need the police coming in with the sandbags or the tear gas, which we’ve seen in the past, but that was a long time ago, I mean, maybe it’s a little different climate here on University now – people are a little more chill,” said Frog & Firkin’s Jonathan Graham.

Graham said the bar is preparing for the worst. They’re only letting people in with a reservation to avoid going over capacity.

“Literally every employee I have working, all my security, and even the extra security that we get from the wild west, so we’re ready to go,” Graham said.

TPD is also planning traffic enforcement starting Saturday morning. Meters on University will be hooded to prepare for the street being blocked off by barricades a few hours before game time.

“We wanna ensure that all pedestrians and bicyclists that are in the area have the ability to mingle and go about University, Congress, and Fourth Avenue,” Pettey said.

The University of Arizona’s Office of Public Safety and UAPD is also upping safety measures ahead of the game. They’re urging students to celebrate responsibly, make a plan, and contact UAPD if they’re in need of assistance.

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