BOZEMAN - The Bozeman Police Department is planning and prepping for the 121st Brawl of the Wild on Saturday as well as for ESPN's College GameDay coming to town.
BPD will be increasing patrol, specifically, in the downtown area during the event.
“We prepare for big events for a very long time,” says Deputy Chief Andy Knight. “Planning is what we do, we listen for intel and prep for any big events that might happen—so we’re ready to go.”
This will be the first time ESPN’s College GameDay pre-show comes to the Big Sky Conference, but this is far from Bozeman PD’s first Brawl of the Wild Event.
Knight has worked his fair share of rival games and says that the extra patrol and police presence will work to keep everyone safe.
“We focus in on crowds where people hang out, and we typically see that downtown — so we’ll saturate downtown,” Knight said.
Stephen Lehmann — vice chairman for the Gallatin County DUI Task Force — says that he hopes people have fun while balancing the responsibility while drinking.
“There are consequences with your choices, there have been with myself, so it’s a matter of setting yourself up for success way beforehand,” Lehmann said.
"With the amount of people that are on the streets, within the community, to make it a safe enjoyable game," Lehmann concluded.
