{"id":247713,"date":"2026-07-20T14:55:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T14:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/247713\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T14:55:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T14:55:09","slug":"law-enforcement-first-responders-work-to-keep-world-cup-fans-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/247713\/","title":{"rendered":"Law enforcement, first responders work to keep World Cup fans safe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scranton\u2019s turn at a World Cup Fan Zone this month gave community members, visitors and soccer fans a chance to gather at Courthouse Square for a free event over the course of four days.<\/p>\n

Police Chief Thomas Carroll points out that the event, which did not require a ticket, provided law enforcement with somewhat unique logistics.<\/p>\n

By all accounts, he said, they met the challenge.<\/p>\n

Not only were city police out in force for four days of the event, but also county detectives and members of the Lackawanna County district attorney\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Support for event safety and security went beyond simply law enforcement. The city Fire Department, county emergency management and 911 services, and local hospitals were also at the ready should they be needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a multijurisdictional public safety plan,\u201d Carroll said.<\/p>\n

Carroll pointed out that when planning the event, which spanned four days over two weekends, there were a lot of unknowns.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had extreme heat, severe weather,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re responsible for everyone\u2019s safety and a lot goes into this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carroll said law enforcement ran a unified command to oversee and manage all the moving pieces.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery organization has a decision-maker that sits at the same table,\u201d Carroll explained. \u201cWe use Scranton police software to create a common operating picture so everyone is aware of what the other is doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unique event, unique challenges<\/p>\n

While Courthouse Square routinely hosts events throughout the year, the Fan Zone was a new frontier.<\/p>\n

In addition to World Cup competition shown on jumbo screens, the event also provided entertainment for music lovers, including a Taylor Swift tribute band and the pop-rock band Hanson.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe needed to be prepared for the number of people who come, or who don\u2019t come,\u201d said Carroll. \u201cShould we get a surge of people, we have the structure in place to increase staffing in real time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carroll said law enforcement was prepared for liquor sales at the event, partnering with Pennsylvania State Police and liquor control board for oversight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe run through all the scenarios,\u201d he said. \u201cDrinking responsibly is not a problem. It\u2019s a nice novelty to have a part of the Fan Zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connecting with the community<\/p>\n

Carroll said his officers literally stepped up to keep people safe and connect with them during the event.<\/p>\n

At one point, he spotted one of his officers kicking around a soccer ball with other adults.<\/p>\n

He then noticed a little boy looking on as she played.<\/p>\n

Carroll thinks his officer was sending the right message \u2014 law enforcement is there to help, keep the peace and connect with the community.<\/p>\n

Those attending the event were required to pass through a security area, where they turned over their personal items and passed through a metal detector.<\/p>\n

The process was quick, and sheriffs staffing the area exchanged banter with members of the community.<\/p>\n

Carroll said he heard from eventgoers that they didn\u2019t mind passing through the security checkpoint and that, in fact, they appreciated it.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople routinely walk up to me to compliment the presence of law enforcement. That presence, even including barricades, makes them feel safe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

During the four days of Fan Zone activities, which concluded Sunday, problems were minimal, he said.<\/p>\n

Citations during the event were issued mainly for disorderly conduct, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were several police interactions but very few arrests,\u201d Carroll said Sunday. \u201cToday we had the highest number of spectators and no arrests. It was a great event.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HansonHanson performs on Lackawanna County Courthouse Square during a FIFA World Cup Fan Zone free concert on Saturday, July 18, 2026. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scranton\u2019s turn at a World Cup Fan Zone this month gave community members, visitors and soccer fans a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247714,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[201,182,139,28,178,180,179],"class_list":["post-247713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}