Tactical Vs. Relationship, a Micro Study of Lexington Kentucky Police Response Gregg Nelson Jones Eastern Kentucky University
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Eastern Kentucky University Encompass Online Theses and Dissertations Student Scholarship January 2016 Policing Celebratory Behavior: Tactical vs. Relationship, a Micro Study of Lexington Kentucky Police Response Gregg Nelson Jones Eastern Kentucky University Follow this and additional works at: https://encompass.eku.edu/etd Part of the Law Enforcement and Corrections Commons, and the Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons Recommended Citation Jones, Gregg Nelson, "Policing Celebratory Behavior: Tactical vs. Relationship, a Micro Study of Lexington Kentucky Police Response" (2016). Online Theses and Dissertations. 383. https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/383 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at Encompass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Online Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Encompass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STATEMENT OF PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master's degree at Eastern Kentucky University, I agree that the Library shall make it available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of the source is made. Permission for extensive quotation from or reproduction of this thesis may be granted by my major professor, or in [his/her] absence, by the Head of Interlibrary Services when, in the opinion of either, the proposed use of the material is for scholarly purposes. Any copying or use of the material in this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Signature __ __________ Date ____November 22, 2015______________________ Policing Celebratory Behavior: Tactical vs. Relationship, a Micro Study of Lexington Kentucky Police Response By Gregg N. Jones Bachelor of Science Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, Kentucky 1988 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Eastern Kentucky University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE May 2016 Copyright © Gregg N. Jones, 2015 All rights reserved ii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my wife Linda, for her unwavering love and support. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my graduate professors in the School of Justice Studies: Dr. Victor Kappeler, Dr. Pete Kraska, Dr. Derek Paulsen and Dr. Gary Potter for their inspiration and instilling in me critical and creative thinking skills associated with my chosen profession in the criminal justice field. I would also like to thank the thesis committee members, Dr. Potter (Chair), Dr. Kraska, and Dr. Kristie Blevins for their comments and assistance with this work. Finally, I would like to thank the men and women of the Lexington Police Department for their dedication and service to the community every day. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Introduction..…………………………………………………………………………………………….1 II. Methodology.................................................................................................8 III. Geography of Celebratory Events…………………………………………………………….10 IV. Event Planning: Preparation and Prevention……………………………………………15 V. Setting the Stage: Code Enforcement and Pre-event Enforcement............19 VI. Staffing and Uniform...................................................................................21 VII. Enforcement Activity...................................................................................27 Arrests.........................................................................................................28 Students......................................................................................................29 Alcohol Involvement...................................................................................31 Age, Sex, Race of Offenders........................................................................33 Charges.......................................................................................................35 VIII. Police Tactics & Strategy............................................................................38 IX. Fire/Ambulance Response..........................................................................41 X. Technology/Social Media Role...................................................................42 XI. Other Police Agency Responses.................................................................45 XII. Related Social Psychology..........................................................................54 XIII. Police Ready for Battle……………………………………………………………………………57 XIII. Summary/Conclusions...............................................................................59 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………………….....64 v LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Crowd types, characteristics and examples ……………………………..............2 2. Riot type, characteristics and examples ……………………………………………...3 3. 2012 staffing, semi-final game ……………………………………...……….............22 4. 2012 staffing, final game........................................................................23 5. 2014 staffing, semi-final game...............................................................24 6. 2014 staffing, final game.......................................................................26 7. Arrests per UK championship game......................................................28 8. UK students arrested per UK championship game...............................30 9. Alcohol related arrests per UK championship game............................32 10. Age of arrestees per UK championship game......................................33 11. Females arrested per UK championship game.....................................34 12. Race of arrestees per UK championship game.....................................35 13. Charges of arrestees per UK championship game................................36 14. Fire/ambulance runs per UK championship game...............................41 vi LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. Frequency of campus/community disturbances NOT associated with protests………………………………………………………………………………….…….4 2. State Street, Lexington, KY...............................................…………………….11 vii Abstract In the last three plus decades, considerable attention has been given to certain common phases in the life cycle of gatherings, demonstrations, and riots in the United States. Much of the study focuses on theoretical origin and social psychology associated with each type of event. There is considerably less empirical work regarding police reaction to these events, particularly concerning celebratory behavior following a sporting event. Celebratory incidents are less organized than their protests counterpart. A variety of fans with collective zeal gather in a common location without leadership or mission. Celebratory behavior has become commonplace amongst fans in cities with sports teams competing for prestigious victories in nearly all types of sporting contests. Post-game celebration may have a ritualized aspect and be "institutionalized," in the sense that participants and controllers expect them to happen. For public order maintenance, the strategic orientation used by police for celebratory crowds following these events has predominantly been paramilitary in nature both from an appearance and behavior aspect. Some research and social theory argue that a systemic culture of militarization in American police makes these incidents worse. To aid in this research a micro level case study from Lexington, Kentucky will examine post-games from two Final Four tournament years of celebratory behavior and the evolving strategies of police. Brief comparisons of police response from other agencies are discussed and analyzed with Lexington police response. Evolving police tactics and social theory combine to suggest that a relationship oriented response may be favored over a tactical approach to reduce crowd agitation or aggressive behavior during post-game celebration. Finally, considerations of police tactics toward a more relationship-oriented response are discussed. viii Introduction Some scholars have generated a conceptual framework to distinguish various types of collective behavior to include crowds and riots. Efforts to place "celebratory behavior" within the crowd schema shed light on the wide range of characteristics that define celebration behavior events. Sociologist Herbert Blumer (1969) identified four types of crowds associated with collective behavior. Clark McPhail and Ronald T. Wohlstein (1983), added a fifth type, the protest crowd. Using Blumer's typology for crowds, celebration behaviors may occur across multiple crowd types. Crowd or gathering type is important in shaping police responses because protest events are especially privileged in the law and because the impressions and/or the prior knowledge police have of the social organization of civilian participants in the types of crowds are quite different. Crowds that gathered during and following University of Kentucky basketball games in Lexington, Kentucky could be characterized as conventional, expressive and acting. Conventional crowds are gathered for a common purpose with somewhat structured behavior. Instances of police responding to this is evident in Lexington, Kentucky as crowds gather in close proximities to the celebration venue to watch the University of Kentucky tournament basketball game, the common purpose of their gathering. Expressive