LPD says Railyard expansion on game day didn’t cause any major problems, but needed extra officers

Husker fans were able to expand their party from inside The Railyard to all across Canopy Street for the Husker’s Homecoming game. 

The move had Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister worried about the strain it would put on LPD’s resources, but he said Wednesday it actually went pretty well. 

Bliemeister said they were able to have four additional officers on patrol at The Railyard and didn’t have to pull officers off of other game day duties like traffic and security at Memorial Stadium.

“Although there were 28 calls for service during the time period where the SDL was active, from 12-8, and there were 18 citations most of those were for minor in possession of alcohol,” Bliemeister said. “There was a lot of good work being done to make sure it was a safe environment.”

Bliemeister said the cool weather may have limited the amount of people in the area. Based on his, and council member’s observations, he said about the same number of people were in the Railyard for the Colorado game as there were for the Homecoming game. If it were a nicer day, more people may have come, causing additional issues, he said.  

He said if Railyard officials request to expand in the future, he hopes city council members continue to take into consideration the addition police resources it requires.