Nearly a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, aggressive security measures continue at Camp Randall Stadium, an area considered by the FBI and the Office of Homeland Security to be at heightened risk for possible terrorist attacks.

The University of Wisconsin Police Department implemented a policy in late September of last year to restrict all traffic along Breese Terrace prior to Badger football games. Residents and commuters along Breese Terrace can expect no change in this policy in the immediate future.

“In order to ensure the safety of the 80,000 people in the stadium and the residents that live in close proximity to the stadium, we have to make sure someone is not bringing a bomb in their car,” Burke said.

The four-to-five-hour closure is one of the most recent of a string of decisions to increase security at games.

Dale Burke, captain in charge of field services at the UW Police Department, has been at UW for 23 years and has seen hundreds of arrests made by UW Police at football games. Burke said he feels these recently added measures will help lower the number of citations, arrests and ejections.

While campus police have never had any reason to suspect terrorist activity on campus, the university has a conditional-use permit that allows for the Breese Terrace closure.

Burke said he feels it is merely an extra precaution, and although some residents along Breese Terrace have protested the restriction, for the most part it has been hassle-free.

“The overwhelming number of residents have been very supportive and very cooperative, and we would hope that this continues,” Burke said.

Resident Scott Mueller, Alumni Relations Chairman for the Triangle fraternity located on Breese Terrace, said he is frustrated with the closure.

“I realize they have to do it because it’s just for safety, but for years, almost as long as we’ve had a house here, we’ve had alumni park in our lot during the games, and now that’s not possible,” Mueller said. “We’re working with the police department as much as we can, trying to ease the restrictions, because it’s a big hassle.”

Recently, residents and those with parking contracts on Breese Terrace property have been allowed access to those properties during the restricted hours.

Before the new measures were implemented, videotaping was the primary tool used for stadium security.

“We’ve been videotaping at football games for 15 or 20 years, and originally it was to help make it safer for officers who have to go into the stands,” Burke said. “With students standing all the time, it is very difficult to see an officer in a crowd. Having the cameras was a way to zero in on them so we could know when officers were in trouble. Now we have much fewer problems than we did ten years ago, and even back in the ’80s.”

Burke said videotaping at the games was originally implemented to keep track of officers and prevent minor security violations such as aisle blockages and rowdy behavior, but has since become a vital tool for detecting suspicious people and objects.

While the UW Police Department stresses these precautions to prevent terrorist activity are necessary, the primary goal of camera use within the stadium is to deal with rowdy behavior. At the season opener against Fresno State Aug. 23, 40 people were ejected from the stadium, ten of whom were issued citations or arrested. Most of the ejections were for possession of alcohol.

On average, 10-to-12 arrests occur at every game.

“Because of the videotaping, if somebody is observed breaking the law, we have an accurate recording of what occurred, and sometimes students will say, ‘I didn’t throw that,’ or ‘I didn’t do this or that,’ and all we have to do is look at the videotape,” Burke said.

Although the public fear of terrorism has moderately subsided, Burke said he feels the increased security measures will remain.

“Nobody is going back,” Burke says. “My guess is that we’ll continue to maintain these measures from now on.”