Getting Answers: Is Sacramento prepared for more playoff-sized crowds?
SACRAMENTO -- Thousands of fans went to downtown Sacramento and the Golden 1 Center to see the Kings' first two playoff games in nearly two decades, and with it came many firsts and lessons learned.
Around 18,000 fans at G1C, 5,000 fans in the DOCO Plaza, and 2,000 fans at the Section 916 watch party are preliminary numbers for the first NBA Playoff games hosted in Sacramento since 2006.
From game to game, Sacramento leaders from the Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester and nighttime economy manager Tina Lee-Vogt told CBS13 the plans in place ahead of the playoff games were based on the typical Kings games, with some added NBA security protocols for playoff games.
For example, to enter DOCO fans must walk through metal detectors, another layer new to these playoff games. There were "small tweaks" between the games, mostly focused on the egress of the large crowds.
"We are definitely ready, one thing was really nice, I was able to get some feedback from our teams both nights," Lee-Vogt said.
Real-time feedback from the nighttime economy team members on the ground was applied and built into future NBA playoff game plans. There have been no major incidents, only "a couple of minor incidents," according to Chief Lester.
"The size of the crowds, the uniqueness of the event, there's little things that we catch when we debrief. There's eyes on this to make adjustments as we go," Chief Lester said.
Lester said the success of the playoff games, so far, is only possible due to partnerships between Sacramento police, DOCO security, and the public.
"We always ask for the community's help, to monitor things, and report to us," Lester said.
She said feedback from fans and reports — "if you see something, say something" — are important to keep future games safe for all fans.
