Special Training for Security, Others Working Commencement
No backpacks, no wearing robes to Nickerson still among the rules
You might think that a person determined to hurt others, especially in a public setting, would be visibly agitated. In fact, the opposite can be true: such individuals can exhibit preternatural calm before their storm of violence.
So says BU Police Detective Lieutenant Peter DiDomenica, who this year, as last, is training not just his fellow University police officers, but others working Sunday’s Commencement ceremony in how to screen people for hostile intent.
Otherwise, security at Sunday’s event will be similar to last year, when police stopped Andrea Massa from entering Nickerson Field with two concealed handguns. The case is still pending against Massa, of Marshfield, Mass., on charges of creating a disturbance and illegally carrying firearms on campus. At the time, his wife said that he intended no harm.
There is debate about how reliable the “behavioral detection” techniques, such as the ones DiDomenica teaches, are. “The officer that spotted Massa feels that training helped him spot the suspicious behavior,” says DiDomenica, adding that he also trained Brookline Police in the techniques before last month’s Boston Marathon.
He researched the psychology of would-be violence-doers after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, he says, when he was struck by the fact that the hijackers who knew they’d be dead in a few hours calmly “walked through the airport,” evading suspicion. Checking with psychologists, law enforcement officers, and researchers, he searched for clues as to whether “people in the final stages of some very dangerous activity” look different from others. He says he found that often, with “these planned, rationalized, purposeful killings, the person is actually less emotional, less erratic—they’re actually flat emotionally.”
Before last year’s Commencement, DiDomenica trained fellow BU Police Department (BUPD) members. In the run-up to this year’s graduation, he gave the same training to the contract security service workers from RSIG, the security services provider the University uses, as well as marshals, proctors, food service staffers, and other workers involved in Commencement, he says.
BU Captain Robert Molloy says security rules this year parallel last year’s. Backpacks and putting on graduation robes before getting to Nickerson Field are banned. There are distinct parking restrictions during Commencement weekend for guests and visitors, faculty and staff, and people with disabilities.
The University urges faculty and staff attending Commencement activities to use public transportation because of the heavy traffic and demand for parking. A Commencement weekend shuttle bus (find route map here) will run from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. today and tomorrow and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Other procedures:
- All students, faculty, staff, volunteers, guests, and vendors will be subject to screening when entering any Commencement weekend venue, possibly with a metal-detecting wand.
- Guests who are not carrying a bag may use an express entrance lane.
- Only small and average-size handbags, purses, and camera bags will be allowed (no large totes, oversize purses, backpacks, large diaper bags, or messenger bags). Bag size is limited to 12” x 12” x 6”. All bags will be physically inspected prior to entry.
- No other bags, gift bags, wrapped gifts, packages, briefcases, backpacks, or luggage will be allowed in a Commencement or Convocation venue, including Nickerson Field.
- If guests have packages or bags that are not permitted, they may leave them at a “self-check” area adjacent to the venue. While this area will be monitored by security, the University will not provide a claim check process and will not be responsible for packages left in a self-check area.
- Graduates and faculty must carry their robes into event venues and then dress in designated lineup areas.
- Anyone who sees anything suspicious should immediately contact the BUPD at 617-353-2121.
The BUPD will secure all entry points.
Venues will be staffed by professional safety personnel from RSIG, which oversees all Agganis Arena concerts. Bomb-sniffing dogs from the Boston Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police will check specific venues and open areas, including bag storage and checkpoint areas. As in previous years, the main stage at Nickerson Field will be cleared prior to the start of the Commencement exercises by canine and explosive ordnance disposal specialists.
More information about Commencement can be found here.
Amy Laskowski can be reached at amlaskow@bu.edu.
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