Security becomes more vigilant at sporting events

As the country embarks on uncertain times because of the potential risk of terrorist attacks, as well as a possible war with Iraq, the world of sports has been put into perspective, and has taken a redefined role in assuring safety to athletes, coaches and fans. The two biggest sporting events around the area last weekend were the University of Tennessee basketball game against Alabama and the Knoxville Ice Bears home hockey game against the Macon Trax. Both contests were played on Saturday and both drew large crowds, as the Ice Bears welcomed 4,493 fans through the gate at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum, and the University of Tennessee announced a crowd of 16,014 at Thompson Boling Arena. Heightened security at both events would not be obvious to the average spectator, but security officers at each arena maintained that there has been an increase, but nothing drastic. The words ‘more vigilant’ were a common description given by security supervisors at both events. “We haven’t added any additional security but what we have done is changed our positions,” said Knoxville Police Department Lieutenant Mark Pressley who was in charge of security at the Ice Bears game. “We’ve also changed the way we address people coming into the building. We have an additional staff of ushers and door people. We probably have 25 to 30 people working the game, but that fluctuates with the size of the crowd.” Pressley said that he sees a difference in the crowd that attends each sporting event, and that most of the disturbances that he’s seen have nothing to do with terrorism, and more to do with what sport they’re watching and what kind of beverage they’re drinking. “Outside of the usual one or two who have too much to drink, we haven’t had any issues at all,” Pressley said. “Since 9-11 we’ve maintained the same level. Since the Orange Alert, we’ve just become more vigilant in watching our crowds. As far as a risk of a threat, this building is not as large of a target as you would have at a place like Thompson-Boling.” At the UT games, it seems to be more of an issue of ‘you make the call’ when it comes to searching fans that enter the game. At the Louisville game in January, a security officer told a source to take his hand out of his pocket before patting the random fan down and allowing him to enter the arena. The same fan attended the Alabama game last Saturday and was just waved through the gate. At the media entrance on the lower level of the arena, security has been consistent in checking camera bags and credentials before allowing entrance. “We haven’t changed a lot,” said Sergeant Warren McNutt who is in charge of security at UT basketball games. “We set a standard after 9-11 and that’s pretty much how it has stayed. We’ve been more vigilant trying to get awareness up on what you can bring in. Basically we’re trying to get the community aware of what you can do and what you can’t.” McNutt said that any increase in security is to get fans accustomed of what to expect when they enter a large sporting event, because according to the Sergeant, it’s not going to change anytime soon. “Awareness is the big thing,” McNutt stated. “We’re trying to get people used to what they’re going to have to do before they go into a major stadium. I think that it’s pretty much going to stay like this.”