After the recent attacks on the United States, questions of security at Mississippi State University and Starkville began to rise. What is it that Starkville needs to be guarded from? Is Starkville a safe place to be during football games? These questions put a perplexed look on the faces of the people who attend and guard public events, such as MSU football games.
“Pretty safe!” is the answer The Reflector most commonly received when asking MSU students how they felt Thursday night at the football game. The answer put a smile on the face of the police officers who guarded the game.
With football game fever, the massive amounts of people from nearby towns traveling into Starkville gives the university campus a city-look. Along with the city-look comes the problems associated with a city and high population.
These problems have to be handled before they can possibly escalate into major issues.
The destruction of the World Trade Center and the suspected involvement of West Asians in this unfortunate tragedy has flared the spirits of United States citizens. With the tense mood, the chances of skirmishes are considered to be higher than usual.
“We hope not to have any problems,” Sheriff Dolph Bryan of Oktibbeha County said shortly before Thursday’s game.
“I think they did a great job,” Lisa Ochomogo, senior, said. “I felt really safe! Seeing the increased number of police at the stadium and in town really reassured me.”
With an influx of people from different towns traveling to Starkville for football games, regulating traffic and allotting parking spaces to every vehicle is quite difficult, according to local authorities.
With officials and MSU student workers posted at different vantage points around the campus, the situation was under control. Prior to the Thursday game, Sgt. Steve Gladney of the Mississippi Highway Patrol said, “As many troopers as possible will be present for the game.”
Gladney said the traffic was channeled properly and without any problems.
Every spectator was checked thoroughly before entering the stadium. Alcoholic beverages, narcotic products and sharp-edged metal devices were prohibited, thereby keeping vandalism in check during the game and ensuring a healthy atmosphere inside the stadium. With the tragedy in New York and Washington and the flared atmosphere, Thursday held a possibility of clashes during the game.
Capt. David Lindley from the Starkville Police Department said he sincerely hoped that there would be no problem.
He also confirmed that security measures had been increased to handle circumstances in the event of any copy-cat incidents.
No major incidents were reported to MSU police during the game, according to the police report.