HPD is “up to the challenge” of security during the home games.
Following recent Super Bowl experience, law enforcement has honed procedures
Tens of thousands of baseball fans will flood downtown Houston this week for the 2017 World Series, marking the second time in a year that Houston law enforcement will bulk up security efforts for a national sports event.
But unlike Super Bowl LI hosted by Houston in February, the World Series between the Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers is closer, tighter and will be finished more quickly.
“Our city is no stranger to hosting major events,” Executive Assistant Police Chief Matt Slinkard said Monday at a news conference at the Houston Police Department’s downtown headquarters. “We do it all the time, and I think we do it very, very, well.”
In addition to the Super Bowl and World Series this year, Houston hosted last year’s Final Four men’s college basketball championship; the 2005 World Series, which ended with an Astros loss to the Chicago White Sox; and Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004.
Starting with Tuesday’s opening game, baseball fanatics and fair-weather fans will fill Minute Maid Park and nearby bars, or watch parties across the city, making the jobs of watching the community more complex for law enforcement.
Local law enforcement has honed procedures during similar past events, Slinkard said.
“We’ll have plenty of resources on hand — and we will have resources both seen and unseen to protect the public,” Slinkard
said. He also asked residents to be watchful of their surroundings and report anything suspicious.
HPD officials remained cagey, however, about specific details.
The World Series presents a different type of challenge than this year’s Super Bowl LI — a 10-day operation for law enforcement that had been scheduled years in advance. Football fans crowded pop-up venues across the city and the NFL Experience at the George R. Brown Convention Center, in addition to attending the championship game at NRG Stadium.
The World Series, however, doesn’t have a similar lead time like the Super Bowl, and games aren’t played in just one city.
“That short time frame does create a little bit of a challenge, but we’ve done it before and we’re up to the challenge,” Slinkard said.
FBI helping out
Instead, fans will likely be populating local bars or watch parties across the city for the first two games in Los Angeles, he said. The series returns to Houston on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and then goes back to Los Angeles if needed for Games 6 and 7.
The FBI and other agencies will be helping out.
“We are constantly working with HPD, and we’re working with them and local and state and federal partners to make sure anyone who attends the World Series at Minute Maid Park has a safe experience,” said Christina Garza, an FBI spokeswoman. “We constantly remind the public to be aware of their surroundings and report anyone or anything that might seem suspicious to law enforcement.”
Federal aviation officials, meanwhile, confirmed that a limited nofly zone would be in effect during games.
“Temporary Flight Restrictions will be in place,” Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford said, in an email. “The TFR prohibit all aircraft, including drones, from flying inside it without specific authorization from the FAA. It will have a diameter of three nautical miles and extend from the surface to 3,000 feet.”
The Harris County Sheriff ’’s Office is planning to put its two Skywatch platforms — crane-like machines to lift deputies into the air to watch crowds from above — to use at Minute Maid, deploy bomb-sniffing dogs, and make its special response team available as well, said Jason Spencer, a department spokesman.
DWI enforcement
Deputies will also be stepping up DWI enforcement, he said, adding that officials from local agencies from across the region met Monday to coordinate.
“Fortunately, we went through this drill for the Super Bowl, so we’re applying lessons learned and tweaking them — but we’re used to working together, already doing that now,” he said.
Slinkard, the HPD chief, asked fans to bring “pride and patience” with them to the games.
“We’ll be watching what’s going on, mitigating any concerns we have,” he said. “We’ll be responding quickly. We ask you to be patient with your fellow citizens and the people here to enjoy the game.”