By Martin Finucane, The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) -- As the Red Sox game began at Fenway Park Sunday night, three mounted police officers chatted on Lansdowne Street as they sat on restless horses, people ate hot dogs under an umbrella on Yawkey Way, and a young man was carded at the door to the Cask ‘n’ Flagon bar.
All these scenes were visible in the Boston Police Command Center, where police used high technology to monitor hot spots they believe could become centers for unrest after the game against the New York Yankees, which the Red Sox have to win for a shot at the World Series.
The command center, first used during the Democratic National Convention in July, is housed in a windowless room inside Boston Police headquarters a mile from Fenway Park. Inside, police can watch views from 50 cameras around the city on 40-inch Hitachi plasma screen televisions as they coordinate with several agencies, including State Police, the Boston Fire Department and even some college police forces.
“I can monitor-slash-manage what goes on in five different locations simultaneously,” said Superintendent James Claiborne, who was leading the command center Sunday.
Cameras in 10 hot spots can rotate 360 degrees and zoom in or out. Police are also plugged in to dozens of cameras at Northeastern and Boston universities, as well as a roaming car, loaned by a federal agency, that feeds live, streaming video to monitors on the other end.
The cameras, originally bought for use during the convention, were installed on top of the ballpark and other locations as police prepared for the postseason.
One of those locations is Symphony Road, near Northeastern University, scene of a riot and a death after the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl early this year. Authorities had been criticized for not responding effectively to violence that night.
“This is one of those things that’s left over from the DNC that’s going to benefit the city in the long run. It’s certainly changed the way we do business,” Claiborne said.
But during the convention, some critics complained that the cameras were an unreasonable violation of privacy. Claiborne said police understood their concerns.
“You have to be respectful of people’s First and Fourth amendment rights. The cameras are only to surveil those areas that are open to the public,” he said. “I’m not seeing anything I can’t see standing on a street corner.”
On the ground Sunday, police deployed more than 400 officers, some in uniforms, some in riot gear and some in plain clothes.
Claiborne said the cameras are nice to have for major events, but they’ll never replace those officers in the field.
“It’s no substitute for just getting out and knowing the people,” he said. “And just as importantly, having them know you.”