NATIONAL BRIEFING / NEW YORK

Rope lines, numbered tickets and walkie-talkies for store employees could help control frenzied bargain-hunters, police said in a report issued after a Wal-Mart worker was killed in a predawn stampede the day after Thanksgiving.

Nassau County police released recommendations Wednesday, two weeks after they met with 75 Long Island retailers about how to stage major sales safely. Retailers and police had debated who should take the lead in securing discount-hungry crowds after a Wal-Mart worker was trampled to death.

The report said county police would respond if needed, but that “the responsibility for the security and control of these sales events rests with the store. Store administrators should never market a sales event without having a plan, and the proper resources to manage it.”