Ohio State plans to increase security at Ohio Stadium for this Saturday's football game against Michigan State. The game will draw huge crowds to the University area.
In light of last week's terrorist attacks in Paris, Acting OSU Police Chief Craig Stone says fans will see additional restrictions on what they can bring into the Shoe. Stone talked with WOSU's Marilyn Smith.
He urges fan and tailgaters to report anything suspicious to University Police.
Football fans in Cincinnati are being asked to arrive early for tonight's Bengals game as the NFL has increased security at stadiums around the country.
The below text is an automated transcription of the above interview, please excuse all typos and errors.
Marilyn Smith: Chief Stone, we wanted to know if there's any precautions, any additional security measures that might be taken for this weekend's football game?
OSU Police Chief Craig Stone: On a regular basis we evaluate our security measures and assess and adjust our tactics and procedures. And for this game the Department athletics has approved implementing a new bag policy. It will be a clear bag policy similar to what the N.F.L. has and this Saturday, fans will not be allowed to bring in any, the bags have to be clear plastic, vinyl or PVC, and do not exceed the size of 14x14 similar to a, you know, a one gallon clear plastic freezer bag a like a Ziploc bag or something similar.
MS: So this means women who generally carry a purse will not be allowed to bring those into the stadium?
CS: Good question. The purses have to be small like the size your hand. With or without a handle or strap. So if they're going to have something bigger. They will need to have in a clear plastic bag.
MS: Some of the attackers in Paris last Friday had weapons underneath their coats are you going to be doing any kind of pat downs?
CS: At the gates we have multi-layered approach to security and fans are required to, they will have to unzip their coats so we can be able to visibly see that they don't have any weapons on them.
MS: So does that mean pulling up their shirts in the case of men who might have something tucked into their waistband?
CS: Security personnel will be checking and people have to unzip their coats. We will definitely need to be able to check their waistline.
MS: Do you have any kind of intelligence agency that you rely on that might let you know about possible threats on campus?
CS: We work with a variety of public safety partners such as Franklin County Homeland Security, Ohio Homeland Security the F.B.I. and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide us with intelligence in regards to any potential threats.
MS: Will we see a greater police presence at the stadium on Saturday?
CS: Yes you'll see an increased presence of uniformed officers and canine units on campus this Saturday.
MS: And will you rely on Columbus police officers to help?
CS: Yes in addition to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office the Ohio State Highway patrol. The F.B.I. and there's a whole host of local, county, state, and federal public safety partners we work with on a regular basis to ensure the safety of the campus community and our fans and visitors.
MS: There's a lot of pressure on the team to win. And if they do we could be seeing incidents around High Street. How do you deal with that kind of chaos in terms of crowds at a football game and all of the stuff that goes with it?
CS: We have a good working relationship with the Columbus police and our fans our students have been well behaved this year. There's been some parties. I think the Chitt Fest, Halloween parties. And actually the students have been quite well behaved and you know we try to get the information out about the best fans in the land. What good behavior is and what we expect of our fans and so we're hoping the same for this Saturday.
MS: Acting Chief Stone thank you so much for your time.
CS: Thank you very much.