What does a couch set on fire by rowdy Gators fans after a national championship look like through an infrared camera lens?
"Pretty cool," according to Gainesville City Commissioner and UF's Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Jeanna Mastrodicasa.
Mastrodicasa said she watched live video of the burning couch at the Gainesville Police Department headquarters, 721 N.W. Sixth St., during the celebration on University Avenue after Thursday's game.
The video was streaming in from a police helicopter hovering over the mob of 28,000 for about three and a half hours, directing officers to trouble spots like the burning couch.
But that wasn't the only video feed officers were watching Thursday night.
For the first time, GPD was receiving video from cameras installed on traffic light poles at University Avenue intersections.
The cameras were installed as part of the city's $18.2 million plan to manage traffic by monitoring major intersections and adjusting the timing of traffic lights.
UF has committed about $3.8 million to the project.
There are currently about 40 cameras around Alachua County, with plans to install a total of about 85, city spokesman Bob Woods said.
Mastrodicasa said the cameras allowed her to watch fans climbing light poles and said she even witnessed one fan strike an officer.
The fan, UF student Cynthia M. Santos, was arrested for battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer without violence, according to the arrest report.
Summer Hallett, GPD spokeswoman, said the cameras helped the department control the crowd more effectively and were one reason officials were able to prevent another tragedy like the death of Lt. Corey Dahlem, who was hit and killed by a drunken driver after UF's second basketball championship in 2007.
"When you're in the crowd, it's hard to see what's going on," she said.
"(The cameras) gave us, basically, a 360 degree view," she said.
Hallett said GPD plans to use the cameras for crowd control whenever there's a big event, like a parade or a celebration. She said the department could even use them in the case of an active shooter on or near the UF campus.
Another tool the city used to keep fans safe during the celebration was a little more low-tech â€" Pam cooking spray.
Gina Hawkins, spokeswoman for the city's Public Works Department, said 10 cans of the spray were used on a total of 10 traffic light poles to keep fans from climbing them.
Hawkins said Gainesville began using the spray after the basketball championship in 2007, making this year the second time the spray was employed.
"For us, the convenience of Pam is that it's in the spray form," Hawkins said. "And it's edible."
Which would be a benefit if fans tried to eat the stuff, she said.
"You never know what to expect from your fans," she said.
It's even OK for those on a low-cholesterol diet, she joked.
