NFL To Perform “Enhanced” Full-Body Pat-Downs On All Of America’s 17 Million Football Fans
Sep 16, 2011 1 Comment ›› Pat Dollard
It’s not the sort of thing most fans want to go through before a football match, but security checks are going to get a whole lot tougher.
The NFL wants the 16.6 million fans expected to attend live regular season games this season to go through ‘enhanced’ pat-downs.
All 32 clubs have been asked to search fans from the ankles to the knees as well as the waist up, as they aim to improve stadium security.
In the past security guards only used to pat down fans from the waist up before they got into NFL stadiums, reported USA Today.
The NFL is asking fans to be patient and get to games earlier than before to avoid huge delays at the entrance gates.
‘Enhanced security procedures (will) further increase the safety of fans but will require some additional time,’ an NFL spokesman told USA Today.
‘We encourage fans to come early, enjoy their tailgating tradition, and be patient as they enter the stadium.’
It comes after a man from South Carolina was arrested for using an illegal taser gun on other fans at a game in New Jersey at the MetLife Stadium.
The New York Jets were playing the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. But the NFL said its new measures were proposed before the season began.
The Buffalo Bills have told fans attending a home game on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders that security changes will be in force.
‘The new procedure is a recommendation from the NFL in accordance with the league’s Best Practices policies,’ a club statement said.
