Milwaukee Bucks fans celebrating in the Deer District during the NBA playoffs will see enhanced security measures, city and team officials announced Friday.
As the Bucks playoff run kicks off Sunday afternoon at Fiserv Forum, city and team leaders are doubling down on safety. They're pledging to preventing violence like the kind that broke out last year, when a mass shooting May 13 after a playoff game injured 21 people and sent crowds of terrified fans running through the streets.
"We're all working together to make sure that what happens off the court this playoff season is safe, is fun and is memorable for everybody involved," Mayor Cavalier Johnson said at a morning press conference outside the arena.
Tipoff for Game 1 of the playoffs is 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The Bucks will face the Miami Heat.
Community ambassadors will help monitor crowd
The city's Office of Violence Prevention is deploying about 60 young people as community ambassadors, who will be plugged into the Fiserv security system. The ambassadors will be on the lookout for suspicious activity and feed back information to security staff.
Officials also are urging fans to not leave anything behind in their vehicles, especially valuables and firearms.
Johnson said they hope this will deter "thieves who, unfortunately, break into cars and steal firearms, that then are used in criminal activity in other parts of the city."
"If you're coming downtown, follow that advice: If you can't bring it in, don't bring it at all," Johnson said.
Officials won't be capping crowd numbers in the Deer District, Bucks President Peter Feigin said. The first-round games will not be broadcast on large screens in the plaza. First round games will be shown on the large screen in the beer garden, which has been transformed into the Tanduay Tiki Hut for the playoffs.
If necessary, the Milwaukee Police Department will close down area streets, Assistant Police Chief Paul Formolo said. Formolo declined to share a detailed security plan but said district commanders will be monitoring the scene closely.
"The Milwaukee Police Department will not tolerate any behavior that is disruptive or jeopardizes the safety of our community," Formolo said. He added, "I can assure you that the Milwaukee Police Department will be here as long as we're needed."
More: Why the Bucks will win NBA title, and why they won't. We look back, and ahead on forecasts
Bucks playoffs in Game 1: Time, TV channel, livestream, radio and more
Shootings injured 21 and terrified thousands of fans
Last May, as the Bucks faced off against the Boston Celtics in an Eastern Conference semifinal playoff game, a crowd of 11,000 fans gathered in the Deer District. Just as the game ended, around 9:15 p.m., gun fire broke out — sending hundreds of fans running.