Police prepare for next Celtics win

By Globe Staff

For the Boston Celtics, one more win could give the team its first championship in 22 years. For Boston police, it would be the sixth major sports crown since 2002, but that does not mean they are taking it lightly.

Police held a press conference this afternoon to discuss security precautions if the Green win their next game on Sunday in Los Angeles. Commanders met to discuss logistics and formulate a game plan for public safety and crowd control.

Police warned revelers that public drinking laws would be enforced. Bars will be instructed to close their blinds if they have televisions facing windows that look out onto the street so passersby are not incited by the game.

Mayhem and violence have marred some recent Boston championships. In 2004 police fired pepper-pellet guns into a post-Red Sox victory crowd and killed Victoria Snelgrove, a 21-year-old Emerson College student. Earlier that year, after the Patriots won their third Super Bowl, fans turned cars over and started fires throughout the city. James Grabowski, 21, died when the driver of a sport utility vehicle plowed through a crowded Symphony Road.

After the Red Sox World Series victory last fall, 22 people were arrested near Fenway Park when crowds ignited fireworks, climbed poles and trees, and threw rocks and bottles. Dozens of cars were vandalized during the celebration.

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