Lynn Mitchell and his colleagues wear a University of Utah uniform, but this Saturday, some of the people they rely on most will be in BYU uniforms.

That's because Captain Mitchell and his officers work in cooperation with officers from BYU's police department in ensuring Saturday's rivalry game at Rice-Eccles Stadium doesn't turn into a crime scene.

"They ask us to come down and work, and we invite them up here to help us," he says. "There is a lot of cooperation between the two departments. We're on the same team."

While most of the 50,000 people packed into Rice-Eccles on Saturday afternoon will be fretting about the game's final score, the officers in and around the stadium will be trying to protect university property, keep fans safe and ensure the game is talked about for athletic feats, not criminal acts.

Mitchell has attended most of the games in his 34 years with the University police department. He won't work Saturday, as plenty of other officers volunteered for the job, which is more difficult than usual just because of the size of the crowd. Add rivalry passion and possibly alcohol, and officers have their work cut out for them.

"It's interesting to see how the fans interact," he says. "Some do fine. Others cross the line and get into pushing and shoving, and once in a while blows are actually thrown. I think the 80-20 rule applies. We spend 80 percent of our time dealing with 20 percent of the population."

Mitchell, who graduated from Weber State but is married to a rabid BYU fan, laughs as he talks about his many memories of working the games both at the U. and in Provo at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

U. of U. officers were asked to help in an investigation years ago when some Ute fans vandalized the "Y." Luckily for investigators, the vandals took pictures of themselves in the act and then dropped the film at a local drugstore to be developed.

"We did a little footwork and found out who the students were," he said.

While the officers appreciate fan passion and loyalty, they caution against crossing legal lines.

"Any vandalism is beyond the line," he says. "Any theft ... that's all beyond school spirit."

Mitchell once assisted in an investigation in which a U. coach vandalized his own stadium in an effort to inspire his players. He says the problems officers deal with are similar regardless of the year or game location.

---

E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com