Sports
Ironman Texas
Alpha & Omega Mounted Troopers provided race course security for the inaugural Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas on May 21, 2011 at The Woodlands, Texas. The event is produced by World Triathlon Corporation. Participants began with a 2.4 mile swim in Lake Woodlands then biked 112 miles west through The Woodlands toward rolling farmland. The final portion of the race was a 26.2 marathon course within The Woodlands finishing on Market Street where Troopers regularly patrol. Participants were required to complete all three disciplines within a 17-hour time frame. Ironman Texas offered 65 slots to the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship taking place in Hawaii on October 8. Top finishers shared a $100,000 prize purse. Mounted Troopers are especially effective at events like Ironman Texas because they sit high above the crowds. From that vantage point, they can evaluate crowd congestion, work trouble spots, and be highly visible to someone in need of help.
World Cup Soccer
The Alpha & Omega Mounted Patrol protected fans of the World Cup Soccer matches at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. Hosted by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), 24 countries competed in the month long, multi-city tournament. The total audience created the second largest spectator event in the world with more than 3.6 million people.
Officials from Alpha & Omega met with Cotton Bowl planners and FIFA officials for two years for a sort of “security school” in preparation for the event. Special study of profile situations helped Alpha & Omega ready their Troopers for all possible emergencies. Because of a trend in Europe toward violence at soccer matches, everyone needed to be prepared. Along with the traditional challenges of crowd control, security personnel had an added threat. The so-called “soccer hooligan” could create chaos and endanger lives and property.
In a scorching heat wave, A&O Troopers stood post with other law enforcement personnel from the Dallas Police Department. A&O squads had trained in a semi-military format and were arranged in platoons for a tightly regimented patrol. Troopers’ and horses’ detailed training enabled them to work efficiently around helicopters, ambulances, media trucks, buses of team members, and other potential distractions.
Super Bowl XXVIII, Houston, Texas
Alpha & Omega’s 20-plus year association with The Woodlands Township gave Troopers the experience they needed for Super Bowl excitement in 2004. Held at Reliant Stadium in Houston, the Super Bowl game between New England and Carolina attracted almost 72,000 people to the city.
Troopers with Texas-based Alpha & Omega Mounted Patrol patrolled The Woodlands Township where many visitors and Super Bowl staff had their headquarters for the two-week pre-game festivities and preparations.
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Over the years, the Alpha & Omega Mounted Patrol has welcomed patrons to Chicago’s famed United Center with their parking lot patrols. The United Center, home to the Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls, is the largest arena in the United States.
Since reopening in 1994, the United Center has hosted over twenty million guests at more than 200 events each year. Some of the events the United Center has hosted include the 1996 Democratic National Convention, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Paul McCartney, U2, The Who, The 3 Tenors, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Disney on Ice, the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament, the Great Eight Classic, Illinois College Basketball, and Champions on Ice.
