Heavy law enforcement presence secures the race route
Police came to the race route in plainclothes, and decked out in tactical vests. Some weaved through the crowd with bombsniffing dogs, or marched near the finish line in uniforms reading “Bomb Squad” and bearing ominous-sounding insignia, such as “Counter WMD.”
Some cheerily directed spectators through metal detectors and helped them navigate Copley Square, which on race day is a labyrinth of barricades thronged with security.
Others were stern, bringing eagle eyes once again to a finish line that, once a year, becomes the most policed block in New England by a longshot.
As runners, volunteers, and spectators once again returned to Boston for the 128th Marathon, they found a presence from local, state, and federal police that over the past decade has become as tight and well-staffed as can be found at just about any sporting event in the country.
“Events of this magnitude present unique security concerns and require months of meticulous planning and advanced coordination,” Susan Terrey, deputy secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, said Friday ahead of the race. “Our state agencies, in close coordination with our many stakeholders, have developed a comprehensive and robust public safety strategy. As always, our multi jurisdictional security plan is guided by past lessons and strengthened by our proven ability to adapt to emerging circumstances.”
By midafternoon, the day had gone off without major incident. A Boston Police Department spokesman said he hadn’t heard of any arrests along the route.
Still, dozens of police officers filled the sidewalks along Boylston Street. Most wore high-visibility vests over uniforms, but dozens were clad in plate carrier vests and shoulder patches marked “special operations.”
At the scream tunnel at Wellesley College, both Wellesley and State Police officers monitored the crowds. Barriers separated fans from runners, though some excited students leaned over the railing to high-five and even kiss some runners.
When it comes to security protocols here, veterans of Marathon Monday have learned to go with the flow.
Pedicabber John Dendy, taking a late-morning breather after ferrying spectators in his bike-pulled carriage to the finish line, said security seemed tight this year. “I love to see it this contained and safe. It looks as safe, if not safer, than I’ve ever seen it,” said Dendy, who wore a pair of Dunkin’ branded orange sunglasses and a hat shaped like a chicken as he leaned on his bike seat. “There’s definitely just as many, if not a few more, [police] checkpoints.”
Dendy, who has been helping people get to and from the Marathon for 13 years, said he appreciated the heavy police presence. He said fellow travelers in the pedicab business know it’s important to work in tandem with law enforcement so they can get people where they need to go without causing disruptions.
“They get along with us pretty well. We’ve never had any incidents,” he said.
Plus, they go way back. Police who worked the Marathon in 2013 remember the role pedicabbers played in the aftermath of bombings that year, he said, including the one who famously helped a surgeon bypass gridlock as he rushed to Boston Medical Center. “We were really first responders getting people out of here,” Dendy said.
Security presence along the race route has not always been so well-received.
In Newton last year, a Blackled running group accused police of harassing them as they watched the race at mile 21 last year, subjecting them to hours of surveillance and to a human barricade of officers separating them from the course.
The group, TrailblazHers Run Co., this week filed a federal lawsuit against the Boston Athletic Association, the city of Newton, and Newton’s police chief alleging discrimination.
The atmosphere seemed more mellow this year at the segment of the race route where the group gathered. There were no incidents reported and there did not appear to be an extra police presence in their area.
Beyond the finish line, the police presence appeared to lighten, with a few dozen officers far outnumbered by spectators and volunteers.
One Boston police officer who surveyed the crowd wore a black-and-white patch on his shoulder with an image of a gas mask, the kind police use when shooting off tear gas, along with the words “Boston Police Public Order Platoon.”
The BAA this year had made a point of emphasizing that spectators need to stay off the road during the race, and planned to install 4 extra miles of barricades along the route to keep people on the sidewalks.
“Our request is for all spectators to be on the sidelines, not on the course,” said Jack Fleming, chief executive of the BAA said before race day. “We really want to see fan cooperation and cheering from the sidelines.”