CHICOPEE — City officials are mulling ways to tighten security at high school sports events after a teenager brought a gun to the Sword Game on Thanksgiving Day.
Among the ideas being considered are banning bags, developing an electronic ticketing system, scanning spectators with metal detectors at the entrance gates and increasing the number of personnel at the games, interim Superintendent Alvin Morton said.
City officials met Wednesday morning for at least three hours to discuss safety protocols at games after the incident. Participants at the meeting included Morton, Police Chief Patrick Major, Fire Chief Daniel Stamborski, Student Support Services Director Joseph Morissette, Athletic Director Sean Mackin, school police resource officers, the principals of all three high schools, Mayor John L. Vieau and others.
“We want to make some changes that are not too draconian but allow people to attend the games and show their support and feel safe,” Morton said.
School and public safety officials immediately started reviewing the current protocols at games after a fistfight between two 19-year-old men broke out at the crowded football game between Chicopee and Chicopee Comprehensive high schools, which is known as the Sword Game.
Officers who were providing security at the game responded immediately. When one was struck in the face, backup police responded to assist.
“After separating both male parties it was discovered that one of the males pulled a firearm and struck a bystander in the face with it,” said Travis Odiorne, police public information officer.
The two men were arrested. Emmanuel Nieves, 19, of Chicopee, was charged with assault and battery, assault and battery on a police officer, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a firearm on school grounds and disturbance while carrying a dangerous weapon. Anthony Rodriguez, 19, of Holyoke, was charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct.
Neither are current students in Chicopee. Morton said he did not know if either had attended city schools in the past.
Vieau said he attended the game and was told there was a fight. It only lasted a few minutes and by the time he made his way to the area, police had the combatants under control.
But Vieau said he is concerned about what could have happened if someone started firing into the large crowd and incensed that the two men could taint a tradition that dates back to the 1960s when Comprehensive High School was first built.
Games between the two large high schools in the city are always well-attended and the Sword Game between the football teams is the most popular high school sporting event of the year. At the end of the competition, the winning team is awarded a Civil War-era sword made at Ames Manufacturing which their school puts on display until the next year.
“We want to make sure this community is safe,” Vieau said. “We want to address and get ahead of this.”
Before the meeting, Vieau said he would be willing to allocate additional money to fund any new security initiatives, saying safety is his first priority.
But Morton said the schools and police department already have metal detectors available and any other initiatives will come with little or no cost.
Football season finished on Thanksgiving and the winter season and a variety of sports including basketball, hockey, wrestling and gymnastics are starting. The next home games are scheduled for mid-December so it will give the schools enough time to implement and announce the new rules once they are decided on and finalized.
While school officials do not need the approval of the School Committee to implement new procedures, Morton said he will keep the members informed of the changes.
Along with having people go through metal detectors and banning bags, Morton said the committee agreed it would be beneficial to increase the number of school staff who work crowd at games, especially those they know will attract more spectators, just to have more people watching for any problems.
Officials also talked about having just one entrance to any sporting venue, which is easier in the winter when games are held inside.
“We want to make sure we can make the schools as safe as possible,” he said. “If kids don’t feel safe they can’t learn and if teachers don’t feel safe they can’t do their job.”
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2022-12-04 11:00:00Z
CBMigQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5tYXNzbGl2ZS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDIyLzEyL2NoaWNvcGVlLW9mZmljaWFscy1jb25zaWRlci1zYWZldHktaW1wcm92ZW1lbnRzLWFmdGVyLW1hbi1mb3VuZC1hcm1lZC1hdC1mb290YmFsbC1nYW1lLmh0bWzSAZABaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFzc2xpdmUuY29tL25ld3MvMjAyMi8xMi9jaGljb3BlZS1vZmZpY2lhbHMtY29uc2lkZXItc2FmZXR5LWltcHJvdmVtZW50cy1hZnRlci1tYW4tZm91bmQtYXJtZWQtYXQtZm9vdGJhbGwtZ2FtZS5odG1sP291dHB1dFR5cGU9YW1w
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