Credit: Ron Roberts
Police in Bristol Township and Middletown are prepared for any possible celebrations if the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl Sunday.
Both townships have plans in place for the intersection of Five Points, which sits on the Bristol Township and Middletown border.
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Bristol Township police Lt. Ralph Johnson said the township will have a double complement of officers working Sunday and Middletown police Lt. Pete Feeney explained his department will have extra officers assigned to the shift.
Officers expect crowds to gather at the busy Levittown intersection if the Birds win the big game.
“We know we’re going to get a crowd. That’s just reality,” Feeny said, adding he expects a much smaller crowd if the Eagles lose to the New England Patriots.
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Police have been in touch and the Bucks County Major Incident Response Team, which will have some members on standby the assist county-wide if there are any major incidents.
“We’re not putting Crisco on the poles,” Feeney joked, but said officers will be making sure people are safe.
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When the Eagles won the NFC Championship title last month, a group of about 150 people celebrated at Five Points. While nearly all the revelers caused no problems, one man was arrested and charged for stopping his vehicle in the middle of traffic and causing an unsafe situation.
Feeney said he does not recall any major problems at the intersection when the Eagles lost the Super Bowl in 2005.
Five Points was a gathering point for fans when the Phillies won the World Series in 1980 and in 2008. There were little reported problems, but the crowds were plentiful.
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In 2008, a Levittown man was among those arrested at a relatively peaceful celebration of at least 5,000 Phillies fans along York Road in Hatboro, Montgomery County, according to a news report from the time. This year, police from that borough told Hatboro Patch they were warning business owners to remove trash cans and freestanding display boards but expect any Super Bowl gatherings to be peaceful.
Police in Philadelphia, according to Philly.com, have been preparing for a possible Super Bowl win for the past two weeks and will grease up poles to prevent people from climbing them. In addition, they will have additional officers stationed at known gathering spots.
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Feeney said he expects Levittowners to keep the celebrations calm if the Eagles win the Super Bowl.
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