Cops ready for biggest Village crowds

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The largest crowds of the week are expected in the Super Bowl Village Friday night and Saturday.

Police are ramping up their presence as well.

On Thursday, 100 State Troopers were added to the downtown security force. Right now, 1,000 law enforcement officers are on the ground watching over the Super Bowl activities.

Indianapolis Public Safety Director Frank Straub says the crowds are thick but that's what the city wants.

An estimated 25,000 people attended Thursday night's concert. To improve public safety Friday night, Straub says officers will implement a new plan.

"We have the ability to move people off to the sides if need be. We've created some corridors down each side of the street where we can have public safety personnel, fire fighters, paramedics, EMTs and police officers moving up and down on the sides of the street,” Straub said.

Straub says lost children have been the biggest public safety issue in the Super Bowl Village so far. More than 37 kids have been separated from their parents. Police say all were reunited in a relatively short time.

With crowds this big and growing bigger, police expect to see more lost kid cases.

Straub had this advice for anyone bringing a child to the village.

"Give them your cell phone number, make sure the parents names are in there so if, God forbid children get separated from their parents, we can connect with the parents quickly,” Straub said.

Police are using their camera phones, tablets and the giant video screens to help locate lost kids. A simple photo can be sent to the 1,000 public safety officials on the ground and plastered on the video monitors up and down Georgia Street so everyone knows who to look for.