As fans prepare to chant, cheer and chug at and outside the Razorbacks football game on Saturday, Little Rock police are preparing to handle the roughly 60,000 people who will flock to War Memorial Stadium.
Spokesman Lt. Richard Hilgeman said the department’s major concern about policing the annual game is traffic congestion. Most streets near the stadium become one-ways before the game and switch direction afterward, Hilgeman said.
Because of the sheer number of people traveling to the game, serious delays should be expected, he said.
Police are also concerned that the influx of foot traffic around the stadium could lead to accidents involving pedestrians, Hilgeman said.
“Everybody just needs to slow down and take their time to get there,” he said.
Officers will be assigned to patrol traffic, the stadium and the War Memorial Golf Course, where a lot of pregame drinking and grilling takes place, Hilgeman said.
In the past few years, police have dealt with fans who drank too much, yelled too loud or got into a tussles on the tailgating lawns. Videos circulated on social media in 2015 of people shoving each other among crushed plastic cups and smashed beer cans that littered the ground.
Police always caution against excessive drinking, which was an issue last year, Hilgeman said. A public intoxication arrest results in a six-hour stay in county lockup, he said, so “moderation is a good thing."
Officers prepare for every situation, Hilgeman said, but police do not expect to break up many fights or deal with a lot of property destruction this Saturday.
“We would hope that everybody minds their p’s and q’s,” Hilgeman said.
“If it does come to that, we will be prepared,” he added.