4 "'":7',DPo, April 9, 2001 iots teach students, local police valuable lessons From LESSON. Page 1. A week before the Penn State men's bas ketball loss, another crowd formed in "Beaver Canyon." That one had been cele bratory The crowd on March 25, however, was more deviant and aggressive. "This time, officers reported a lot more things coming off balconies," Wilson said. "I was out the weekend before and they were celebrating. When the police got there, they cheered and followed the rules. "The next weekend, it was a different atmosphere altogether, and we responded the same both times." Both weekends, the officers donned their uniforms and protective headgear, yet the crowd's response had completely changed. At one point during the March 25 riot, Wil son said he and several officers were stand ing together on Locust Lane when someone threw a full beer bottle at them from a bal cony Hitting one officer in the head, it shattered and sprayed the other officers' face shields with glass shards. "It shook us up for a second. Imagine what it would have been like without protective headgear," Wilson said. The constant threat of physical harm last ed throughout the night, but Conrad said officers likely overcame any emotional dis tress about personal risk and focused instead on controlling the crowd. I think that's in the back of their minds, hut I think they're so busy thinking about what other things they're supposed to be doing that that sort of takes a back seat," Conrad said. In.tead. onicers focus on what they have been trained to do respond to and control different sized groups and reach those who are a