Police Won’t Use Helicopters For Crowd Control At Tailgates After White Out Incident
Penn State Police and Public Safety issued a statement Tuesday announcing helicopters will no longer be used to give orders to tailgate crowds, following the senior tailgate incident before the White Out this weekend.
The decision is temporary pending an assessment of the situation Saturday. Penn State Police plans to “continue to confer with state police, and evaluate steps taken.”
On Saturday, a state police helicopter flew what some witnesses estimate as low as 30 feet above the ground in an effort to give orders to disperse a “large-scale party that was getting out of hand” at the senior tailgate in the Yellow lot. The helicopter flew close enough to the ground to send tents, grills, and other debris airborne.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
Below is the full statement:
In the aftermath of the deployment of game day safety and security measures the decision has been made to discontinue use of a helicopter to make crowd announcements at football games pending an assessment. We will continue to confer with state police, and evaluate steps taken, which is our normal practice.
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