Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villaseñor said he was satisfied with the way his officers handled Tuesday night's TUSD board meeting.
"I think they performed in a very professional manner," Villaseñor said.
There were about 100 officers available in the area near TUSD headquarters, although 40 to 50 officers were used for the meeting, according to the Police Department.
Those officers included bicycle and motorcycle officers, and a dog unit.
None of the officers was paid overtime, he said.
"This is not an abnormal number for a crowd that size," he said. "It looked intense because we had a very small venue packed to capacity."
The Police Department needed those officers to be available after initially receiving information about up to 150 counterprotesters who were expected to show up, he said.
Seven people were arrested and cited for criminal trespass at the meeting.
Some people also inquired about bringing their guns to the meeting, he said.
"We need to be prepared for the worst and always hope for the best," he said.
Villaseñor said he did not know if the department would use the same number of officers at the public forum being planned by the district to discuss ethnic studies.
The department has already reviewed video from the meeting and will make any necessary changes or improvements, he said.
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