Lt. Andrew Booher credited the university’s stricter policy on rioting — including the threat of expulsion for those caught throwing glass bottles or burning property — with reducing issues this year. Police also acted quickly to disperse crowds, only waiting about 20 minutes after Friday’s win to move in, versus more than an hour last year.
“They have the right to celebrate a Flyers win. The problem we run into is when it starts to impeach in on the safety of others,” Booher said. “A lot of students did take responsibility because we didn’t have the same problems we had last year. Unfortunately, there are going to be those who didn’t. When that happens then we will have to take action.”
There were 20 officers assigned to the campus Friday, and additional crews were pulled from patrol once the scene got chaotic. In advance of the game, Dayton police assigned 28 officers to campus Sunday. However, after UD fell to Oklahoma, the majority of people stayed inside. Having those officers on hand required the department to pay thousands of dollars in overtime. The final figures are still being calculated, Booher said, but it is much less than the $37,000 in overtime paid by Dayton police last year.
A final report is being completed by Dayton police reviewing how the crowds were handled at the campus and should be available in the next few weeks.
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