After Black Friday stampede death, some crowd-control ideas

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Remember the Black Friday stampede that killed a Wal-Mart worker? Police in New York state have issued a report recommending rope lines, numbered tickets and walkie-talkies for employees to help control frenzied bargain-hunters in the future.

The Associated Press reports that Nassau County police released recommendations Wednesday, two weeks after meeting with 75 Long Island retailers about how to stage major sales events safely. Retailers and police had debated who should take the lead on securing discount-hungry crowds.

The report said that while county police would respond if needed, ‘the responsibility for the security and control of these sales events rests with the store. Store administrators should never market a sales event without having a plan, and the proper resources to manage it.’

The report recommended setting up barricades or rope lines to manage crowds before the sale, handing out wristbands or numbered tickets to arriving customers, positioning store employees in the parking lot and providing them radios to share information. Patrons should enter the stores in smaller groups, not all at once; retailers should have maps showing where to find the hottest sale items; and patrons should be kept out once the store reaches maximum occupancy, the report said.

Stores should call police if crowds become unruly and plan whom to call in a medical emergency, but they should also have defibrillators on hand and staffers trained to use them, the report said.

A predawn horde of about 2,000 shoppers broke down the electronic doors to the Wal-Mart and rushed past Jdimytai Damour, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound man stationed near the entrance of the Valley Stream, N.Y., store to assist with crowd control. At least four other people were hurt. Damour, 34, had no experience with crowd control and had been hired a week earlier from a temporary agency. Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart has said it tried to prepare for the crowd by adding workers, putting up barricades and consulting with police.

-- Julie Makinen