Boston police urge Patriots fans to party responsibly after Super Bowl

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Boston officials today outlined their plans to keep order on city streets after the Super Bowl Sunday, urging New England Patriots fans to “celebrate safely and responsibly” after the much-anticipated game.

“We are all cheering for the Pats and hoping for a win! However, our primary focus is that all sports fans enjoy the game and that the city is peaceful and without incident,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said in a message to the public.

The city has had trouble with sports celebrations in the past, when swarms of revelers, excited by rousing, long-awaited victories, have taken to the streets and sometimes turned rowdy. Two people died in 2004 and one in 2008.

Police plan to significantly increase patrols in the Kenmore Square and North Station areas and extensively use surveillance cameras to capture the images of people “engaging in disorder,” officials warned.

All alcohol laws will be strictly enforced by police, with officers conducting walk-throughs of bars and streets, especially in areas where there are many college students. Police are also working with bars to be sure alcohol laws are enforced, officials said.

Police are in touch with local colleges and universities and any student arrested will also face penalties from their institutions, officials said.

Access to the Kenmore and North Station areas will be restricted at half-time. Those who are not inside bars or restaurants at that time will not be able to enter the area. Those inside who leave establishments after half-time will be told to leave the area, officials said.

“Please celebrate the Pats with the pride and class that our team and our City deserve,” the message to the public said.

Police are veterans of a number of street celebrations because the city’s teams have gone on a remarkable run, winning seven championships in 10 years. But tragedy has struck three times.

In 2004, James Grabowski, 21, died after being hit by a drunken driver during rioting after the Super Bowl. Later that year, Emerson College student Victoria Snelgrove died after police fired pepper pellets into a crowd celebrating a Red Sox victory.

In 2008, David Woodman, a 22-year-old Emmanuel College student, stopped breathing and died after a confrontation with police after the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers.