By Fran Spielman and Frank Main, Chicago Sun Times
Like the former Cubs batboy he is, Chicago Police Supt. Phil Cline has his fingers crossed and the 2003 police playbook ready in hopes that his beloved team wins the National League wild-card berth.
“We’re gonna do the same thing we did last year,” Cline said of crowd-control plans for the postseason. “We had no problems last year, so we expect the same thing. Except this year, they’re not gonna get beat. They’re gonna go all the way.
“We’re gonna take out the orders that we used last year. We were able to handle big crowds outside the stadium, plus the crowds leaving. Everything worked fine. But we’ve got to be flexible. If something changes, we’ll be ready for it.”
Cline refused to say whether Waveland and Sheffield avenues would be barricaded again -- with crowds confined to the sidewalks -- to prevent a dangerous free-for-all when home runs come flying out of Wrigley Field.
That’s what happened after a towering homer by Sammy Sosa onto Waveland during Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins sent the masses into a frenzy last October. City Hall got scared and closed off the street, ending a time-honored Wrigley tradition.
“I’m gonna leave that up to the commanders out there,” Cline said. “Whatever they need to do to get the traffic flow, get people safely in and out and protect the integrity of the neighborhood, that’s what we’ll do.”
If police officers follow the 2003 game plan, it will be just fine with Ald. Tom Tunney (44th), whose ward includes Wrigley Field.
“Last year during the playoffs was amazing as far as police protection,” Tunney said.
Police maintained a heavy presence outside Wrigley during the 2003 postseason. Uniformed officers stood outside Wrigleyville watering holes after games to maintain order and warned bar owners in advance not to overserve customers or exceed capacity.
Six people were arrested for disorderly conduct in the neighborhood last Sept. 27, when the Cubs clinched the NL Central title with a victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. When the Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves on Oct. 5, 2003, to advance to the NLCS, more than 100 police officers formed walls on sidewalks outside Wrigley to keep pedestrians out of intersections. Officers mounted on horses also kept order after the game.
Chief of Patrol James Maurer said the only likely change is that tactical and uniformed officers will not be pulled from districts other than Town Hall and Belmont to handle crowd control.
“In the old days, we would pull tact teams for festivals, parades and sporting events,” Maurer said. “That is not happening anymore under Supt. Cline.”