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<p>HAZLETON &#8212; There will be a heavy police presence tonight when Crestwood plays at Hazleton Area due to a threat apparently directed at Crestwood players earlier this week, according to authorities.</p><p>&#8220;There was some sort of an unsubstantiated threat,&#8221; explained Hazleton Police Chief Jerry Speziale.</p><p>He said the origin of the unspecified threat could not be located, but people were talking about it on Facebook and it caught the attention of school leaders and authorities.</p><p>Even though the chief stressed it &#8220;could be absolutely just a rumor,&#8221; he&#8217;s not taking any chances.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re not trying to create fear. We want people to come and enjoy the game,&#8221; Speziale said. &#8220;But in today&#8217;s world, when there is any type of threat &#8230; we have to be prepared.&#8221;</p><p>To ensure everyone&#8217;s safety, the chief said he&#8217;s scheduled &#8220;adequate extra patrols, including undercover patrols.&#8221;</p><p>In addition to that extra manpower, state troopers based only a few miles from Harman-Geist Stadium will be on hand to assist city police.</p><p>Plus, Speziale said he believes an officer will be riding on the bus with Crestwood players as they make their way to Hazleton from Mountain Top.</p><p>With all the extra precautions in place, the chief is confident that his force is prepared for &#8220;any contingency&#8221; that might arise.</p><p>The last regular season game for both teams kicks off tonight at 7.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Michael Reich</p><p>mreich@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Unsubstantiated threat prompts extra security at tonight’s Crestwood-Hazleton game