Minneapolis Police Department Gearing Up for NCAA Final Four

Minneapolis Police Department Gearing Up for NCAA Final Four

Police across the state of Minnesota are joining together to oversee security for the NCAA Tournament's Final Four games.

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • Mar 28, 2019

March Madness is in full swing as college basketball teams battle it out in the NCAA Tournament to make it to the Final Four. Agencies in Minneapolis, including the Minneapolis Police Department, University of Minnesota Police Department and other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have teamed up to oversee security for the Final Four games from April 5 to April 8 and accompanying events.

Although the event is smaller and more concentrated than the Super Bowl that was recently hosted in the city, MPD is taking similar steps to ensure the safety of teams, fans and participants as the effort's lead agency. 

Security measures will include additional surveillance cameras and patrols downtown. Law enforcement agencies will convene in the Multi Agency Command Center (MACC), a security command center hosted by MPD. This command center was also used during the Super Bowl security process.

"Anyone who has operational assets that are in the vicinity of the Final Four and the events, they're going to be sitting in the MACC so that we're all in touch with each other," UMPD Lt. Erik Swanson told the Minnesota Daily.

UMPD officers will also assist with security for teams using the University of Minnesota practice facilities, Swanson said. Although U.S. Bank Stadium will host most practices, Williams Arena, Maturi Pavilion and the Cunningham Basketball Performance Center are also available for teams to practice away from the media.

Minneapolis was chosen to host the final games of the college basketball tournament in November 2014 after a City presentation to the NCAA by the Minnesota Final Four Bid Committee. More than a year before the event, the NCAA coordinates with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to rehearse security measures.

"Over the years, we have implemented tighter security measures, such as the clear bag requirement for our games and fan events and increased law enforcement presence to help increase fan safety at the Final Four," said NCAA Managing Director for External Affairs Erik Christianson. 

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Integration Imagination: The Future of Connected Operations

    Security teams that collaborate cross-functionally and apply imagination and creativity to envision and design their ideal integrated ecosystem will have the biggest upside to corporate security and operational benefits. Read Now

  • Smarter Access Starts with Flexibility

    Today’s workplaces are undergoing a rapid evolution, driven by hybrid work models, emerging smart technologies, and flexible work schedules. To keep pace with growing workplace demands, buildings are becoming more dynamic – capable of adapting to how people move, work, and interact in real-time. Read Now

  • Trends Keeping an Eye on Business Decisions

    Today, AI continues to transform the way data is used to make important business decisions. AI and the cloud together are redefining how video surveillance systems are being used to simulate human intelligence by combining data analysis, prediction, and process automation with minimal human intervention. Many organizations are upgrading their surveillance systems to reap the benefits of technologies like AI and cloud applications. Read Now

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

  • Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk Dies After Utah Valley University Shooting

    Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after being shot during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.