Articles on Crowd control

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The NFL draft is a mass gathering that must be planned as a public safety and emergency response operation. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The NFL draft brings economic gains – and hidden public safety costs

Significant public resources are spent on staffing, overtime, EMS staging, traffic control and interagency coordination that are integral to a successful event.
A Border Patrol tactical unit agent dispenses pepper spray at a protester attempting to block an immigration officer’s vehicle. Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images

‘Less lethal’ crowd‑control weapons still cause harm – 2 physicians explain what they are and their health effects

Federal immigration agents tend to receive less training on how to properly deploy crowd-control weapons, research finds.
Police officers wearing riot gear push back demonstrators shooting tear gas next to St. John’s Episcopal Church outside of the White House, June 1, 2020 in Washington D.C., during a protest over the death of George Floyd. JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AFP via Getty Images

What is tear gas?

The chemical weapon, tear gas, was used in Washington DC, Los Angeles, Orlando and several other cities to control crowds protesting the death of George Floyd. But what is it? Does it cause harm?
A police helicopter and a police drone fly over a street march in Baltimore, Maryland, following the April 2015 death in custody of young black man Freddie Gray. Reuters/Adrees Latif

Police militarisation takes off with weaponised crowd‑control drones

The use of drones by authorities has increased around the globe. In the US, drones have been used not only for police surveillance and in operations, but also to patrol its southern borders.
Deadmau5: probably does his sums. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

Smart DJs use maths to mix the perfect beat

People are very good at moving in time to a beat. When you listen to your favourite song, you will probably find yourself nodding your head or tapping your foot along almost instinctively. And when you’re…
Liverpool and Manchester City pause to remember the dead of Hillsborough. Peter Byrne/PA

Hillsborough’s lesson – don’t fear the crowd

It is the 25th anniversary of the worst sporting tragedy in the UK: the Hillsborough football disaster, where 96 Liverpool fans died at an FA cup semi-final game against Nottingham Forest. As a mark of…
A crowd can be a lot to handle, even when they’re happy. Dean Lewins/AAP

Computing the chances of Olympic crowd chaos

Handling crowds on major events is a huge challenge for organisers, and the Olympics Organising Committee will be dealing with some of the biggest crowds there are. Simulating such crowds could be one…

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