Tightened Security at Boston Marathon

Two years after the Boston Marathon bombings, tighter security will be in effect for Monday’s race. Photo by Flickr contributor dr. huxtable

If you’re heading out Monday to watch the Boston Marathon, remember not to bring a few things. Those include any backpacks, shoulder bags, blankets, large packages, coolers, and glass containers. This year’s security, just like last year’s security, swaps convenience for safety.

Also bear in mind that police officers (thousands of them) along the race route may ask to inspect anyone’s belongings at any time, delaying passage through security points. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) publishes a full list of security procedures here.

The Boston University Police Department (BUPD) will deploy up to 15 officers, another half dozen on motorcycles, and 13 on bicycles in the South Campus area to assist the Brookline and Boston police. “It’s called the Mobile Field Force,” BUPD Captain Robert Molloy says. “They’re going to be deployed at 7 a.m. Monday morning,” helping patrol the area from Cleveland Circle to the Boylston Street finish line.

The BUPD cyclists will be part of a 150-person force on two wheels that Molloy says will “move quickly around the route and respond quickly to anything they need to.”

State and city officials stepped up security last year after the 2013 Marathon bombings, for which Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was convicted earlier this month. The Tsarnaev jury is weighing whether he should be put to death.

Lu Lingzi (GRS’13) was one of three spectators killed by the blasts. The Lu Lingzi Scholarship Fund, established by members of the BU community, has raised more than $1 million to support graduate students. Contributions to the fund can be made here.

With 30,000 runners expected Monday and 26.2 miles of course to guard, last year’s ban on “bandits” (unauthorized, unregistered runners, tolerated in past years) is in effect. A warning from MEMA: “Many people want to participate in some way in the Boston Marathon as a display of support, but those who are not official participants are asked to refrain from entering the course for the safety of the runners and themselves.” Violators will be stopped.

Spectators and runners alike are subject to the security rules, according to MEMA, with the lone exception to the no-bag policy for runners, who “may carry a one-gallon clear plastic bag for food or sport drink only. Only one clear plastic bag per runner is allowed.”

Starting at 9 a.m., all streets leading to Beacon Street and in the Back Bay leading to Boylston Street from Commonwealth Avenue will be closed. Because the Marathon is run on Patriots’ Day, a state holiday, BU’s normal parking and transportation procedures will be on a special schedule. The BUS (BU Shuttle) will not operate daytime service, and will resume with the late night schedule after 10 p.m. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Copley station will be closed the entire day, and the Green Line B branch South Street stop and C branch Kent Street and St. Mary’s Street stops will close between 10 a.m. and approximately 6 p.m. Bicycles are banned from MBTA trains and buses on Monday.

BU’s permit parking lots will be open, as will its pay-to-park lots and garages at Agganis Arena, Babcock Street, Warren Towers, Granby Street, and the Bridge lot. More information can be found here.

In the run-up to the race, the city declared April 15, the anniversary of the bombings, the first annual One Boston Day. Commemorating the community response to the attack, businesses and nonprofits conducted philanthropic activities to mark the day; for example, the Hyatt Regency Boston and St. Francis House, a day shelter for homeless people, provided new sneakers, a high-demand item, to the shelter’s clients.

“One Boston Day will inspire all of us to come together as the community we are and share the spirit of Boston by giving back,” Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement. “April 15 is a date that has come to stand for our city’s deepest values. I hope everyone can mark this day in a way that is appropriate and inclusive for each of our experiences.”