Nearly two hours before sunrise on a Saturday in the fall, four University of Georgia (UGA) Police commanders install the first of several hydraulic traffic barricades around Sanford Stadium — a task they perform every game day.
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“This shows the standard that we expect from all of our officers,” said Deputy Chief Derrick Gregory.
Two miles away, UGA bus drivers begin the first transit runs that will carry thousands of football fans to and from the stadium throughout the day. Amy Davenport, a driver for Transportation and Parking Services, said UGA’s students are the best part of the job.
“The students are so appreciative, so grateful,” she noted.
Davenport and Gregory are two of the hundreds of men and women, both uniformed personnel and civilians, working for UGA and its regional partners. They are responsible for protecting the more than 93,000 fans in Sanford Stadium and thousands of other visitors while maintaining normal operations across campus.
Regardless of kickoff time, their work begins hours before the game and continues long after the final whistle.
“We are proud of everyone’s hard work to make game day a safe and special experience for our fans and all members of our campus community,” said Jimmy Williamson, the university’s retired chief of police who now serves as a special projects advisor. Williamson and Adam Fouche, the University of Georgia’s interim associate vice president for environmental safety, risk, and resiliency, jointly oversee game day operations.
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Williamson stated that UGA’s game day security efforts have become increasingly sophisticated over the decades, involving travel to major sporting events and consultations with national and international security experts.
“Compared to our peers, we feel that we’re in the top 10% in terms of security,” Williamson added.
Year-Round Game Day Preparations at UGA
Williamson and Fouche meet throughout the year with representatives from Athletics and Auxiliary Services, who manage transportation, parking, dining, and other university resources. Individual units, including the police and the Office of Emergency Preparedness, also meet regularly with their counterparts outside the university.
“Planning for the football season goes on year-round,” Fouche said. “We’re already planning for next season now.”
This preparation includes coordinating with UGA Athletics operations, the National Weather Service, and local fire and medical first responders before each home game. They fine-tune comprehensive plans to address every potential game day situation. This “all-hazards” approach is a unified strategy that maximizes the university’s flexibility to respond to any scenario.
“What our fans see is police and civilians working collaboratively and professionally on their behalf — no matter what might occur,” Williamson said.
This season, fans witnessed this approach in action. Fouche noted that over the summer, special emphasis was placed on training staff to respond to severe weather. When a lightning storm caused a delay of about two hours during the September 6 game against Austin Peay, that training was implemented. In addition to maintaining continuous contact with the teams and officials, security successfully carried out the stadium evacuation plan.
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“Everybody knew what was expected of them,” Fouche said. “We really had that dialed in.”
K-9 Units and Command Center Operations
Back at Sanford Stadium, K-9 Kira, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois, performs a security sweep with her partner, UGA Police Sgt. Nolan Johnson. Kira has patrolled the stadium every game day for six seasons.
“All Kira wants to do is work,” Johnson said. “She loves people, and she loves her job.”
Less than an hour before kickoff, Williamson, UGA Police Chief Jeff Clark, and John Heinen — UGA’s director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness — sit in the stadium command box. They lead an operations team reviewing more than 50 screens showing live camera feeds, traffic reports, weather updates, and the game feed. They watch as tens of thousands of fans enter the stadium without incident.
“From a security standpoint, we’re always happy when game day is uneventful,” Clark said.
Inter-Agency and Campus-Wide Support
Each football Saturday, more than 100 uniformed personnel from 14 outside agencies — ranging from law enforcement to fire and medical first responders — support the university’s game day efforts.
Dozens more employees from the university’s Facilities Management and Auxiliary Services divisions perform custodial, maintenance, and other services. Dining Services provides over 200 meals to first responders and civilians working on game day.
“It’s a privilege to fuel the fans and support staff,” said Chris Render, a retail food sales manager with Dining Services.
About two dozen of facilities management’s operations and maintenance staff arrive five hours before kickoff to provide services throughout the game. The support services team assists UGA Police with the Dawg Walk, while approximately 20 building services employees staff the Tate Center and Miller Learning Center. Grounds department staff fill security barricades, and crews come in on Sunday mornings to remove trash and repair turf.
On this particular Saturday, the workday for Deputy Chief Gregory and his fellow officers ends 14 hours after it began, when they finish returning the hydraulic barricades to storage. Gregory considers this a short day. For a nighttime kickoff, his workday can last more than 23 hours.
“You always feel relieved when you make it through the day successfully,” he said.
Greg Trevor is public safety communications and outreach coordinator for the University of Georgia.
Note: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety.
