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2004
 

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War on terrorism affecting arena security    

The war on terrorism has increased the amount of time spent on stadium security but it still isn’t enough to please the fans.

By MARUJA ROSARIO

Reporting

Spring 2004

HARRISBURG , Pa. – For many, the summer season means wearing sandals, going to barbeques, and vacationing at the beach.  For others, it means baseball games and outdoor concerts under the stars.  With the war against terrorism continuing overseas and the constant threats against the United States , stadiums and arenas have stepped up their security measures in an attempt to field potential attacks; and the ones in the Mid-State are no exception.

Depending on the event, fans can come from all across the nation to see it. It then becomes a major issue to keep so many people safe; but it is not only during these times of war.  Security has always been a major issue for stadiums and arenas.  “When so many people gather under the same roof, there are bound to be problems” said Mitchell Swartz, a long-time baseball fan.  “People want to have a good time but they also want to know that they are safe in that situation” he said.

 That mentality of keeping fans safe, and at the same time not ruining their fun, is the general concept behind security measures at most stadiums.  “We don’t want security to be something you’re thinking about.  You may notice it coming in the gate.  But if you go too crazy or too far, then you start becoming the focus” said Milton Ahlerich, NFL vice-president of security.  Such is the case of some national stadiums and arenas where everything from bags to shoes is checked upon entering. For some arenas, however, even that’s not enough.  “We seriously considered adding (fan) pat down searches.  But we’d need another 180 guards and add two hours to fans’ waits” said Henry Saavedra, director of the Tampa Sports Authority in Tampa, Florida which handles security for Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Though adding more security measures increases their protection, some fans share a general animosity towards the heightened security.  “The lines back up and you have to arrive early for every event because of it (security) and it just gets annoying” said Victoria Radcliffe, frequent attendee of Hershey’s concerts.

Part of the stadium security challenge is the issue of keeping security to a minimum so as not to annoy the waiting fans yet thorough enough to protect them.  Hersheypark Safety and Security, the department in charge of security for Hersheypark, Hersheypark Stadium and the Giant Center , certainly has strived for that approach. Jay Robertson, general manager of safety and security, feels that the measures are capable of handling any potential problems that could occur during events.  Upon entering the gate at either one of the stadiums, all bags are visually checked for dangerous items as well as food and beverages, aside from a bottle of water.  When rock concerts are being held, the security is heightened to include metal wand searches of the person’s body in attempts to find metal objects and on occasion, Hershey Security will employ the use of the CSA to perform pat-downs of persons that might be potentially dangerous.  None of these measures are anything new to the Hershey sporting area security; they have simply been heightened due to current foreign policies.

Commerce Bank Park , home of the Harrisburg Senators, also chooses to take a more minimalist approach to security.  The club focuses most of their attention on bags, allowing only small ones to pass after being thoroughly checked.  “Even if it’s a long line, we search every bag that comes through,” said Craig Hazelwood of the Senators.  What the stadium lacks in metal detectors it more than makes up in police force.  “The chief of police will attend almost every game along with two or more officers.  There is also two more extra security guards every game as well,” Hazelwood said.

Though the minimalist approach to security is quite popular with fans, the stadium may not be able to financially afford to increase security measures any more.  Increasing stadium security greatly increases the cost of insurance making it financially difficult for stadiums.  Raymond James Stadium saw an increase in insurance of about 30 percent and other stadiums’ insurance could have increased by more than 300 percent.  In retaliation, major professional stadiums have attempted to lobby Washington hoping to receive terrorism insurance that will allow them to increase security without increasing the cost of insurance.

For all the time, effort and money involved in increasing security, Radcliffe still sees large room for improvement, at least in Hershey’s case.  “They barely check (bags), if they find something they tell you to take it to the ticket window.  So people pretend to take it and just hide it somewhere else, and then they come back and the security guards just go by trust.  They are not doing their job properly,” she said.

All stories in this magazine are the intellectual property of the individual authors.

You may email comments about this story to: mxr300@psu.edu