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Police would act quickly to halt Steelers fan riots
They've learned from experience.
Pittsburgh police Assistant Chief William Mullen, who has worked plenty of celebrations involving the city's three sports teams during his 37 years on the force, said the Steelers' AFC Championship win in 1995 forced police to close Carson Street.
"We had guys out there in riot gear, really no-nonsense,'' Mullen said Wednesday. "We just shut the South Side down before anything got out of hand.''
City police are putting plans in place to handle fans if celebrations turn ugly.
There are no plans to call in extra officers for overtime, said police spokeswoman Tammy Ewin, but officers already scheduled to work will concentrate on "hot spots'' such as the South Side, the Strip District and Station Square.
"The officers know where people typically go to watch the game, and we'll be in those same areas, looking for any criminal activity that might take place, from urinating in public to drinking and driving and fighting,'' she said.
Mullen was a relatively new officer in 1971 when the Pirates bested the Baltimore Orioles to win the World Series. When celebrants spilled into the streets, Mullen said the crowds turned on the police.
"They were agitating the cops and a lot of cops got hurt,'' he said. "The crowd was really pumped up and everyone was drinking.''
In 1975, when the Steelers clinched their first Super Bowl win over the Minnesota Vikings, Mullen was working on the bureau's narcotics squad and assigned to Market Square. The celebrations over that win turned violent and destructive, he said.
"Cops were getting pelted with bottles and bricks, and people were overturning cars and starting fires,'' Mullen said. "I know some cops that got hurt pretty bad.''
Mullen said police will "keep an eye on the mood of the crowds'' on Sunday and react accordingly.
"You can't really predict what will happen or what people will do, especially when they're drinking alcohol,'' he said. "We've learned a lot about planning and handling these things since the Pirates won the World Series in '71, so we can handle this."
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