Safe at home – The teams of people who keep you safe

While an LSU fan mans his grill and another visits with a friend, helicopters discreetly circle high overhead as the visiting team rolls up Nicholson Drive.

The chopper crews scan for anything that could be a security threat. If something looks suspicious—say, a sudden gathering of people in one area—the crew radios the information to security personnel on the ground.

It’s merely one of the many careful, almost unseen security operations carried out on LSU Tiger game days, procedures designed to ensure the safety of more than 90,000 fans who’ll pack the stadium, and sometimes tens of thousands more who keep right on tailgating through the games themselves.

Some 1,000 people from a variety of federal, state and local agencies take part in myriad surveillance and safety procedures. And they begin long before the first steak sizzles on tailgating grills, unbeknownst to most fans.

For example, LSU Police sweep the stadium and other areas for bombs a day before kickoff.

“They take a forward approach, and they know the lay of the land,” says Eddie Nunez, LSU’s associate athletic director for operations.

State Police voluntarily oversee security for the visiting team. Officers escort teams from the airport, and even offer to accompany them to Friday night movies if they like.

“It’s funny to see people at the movies when these big guys walk through the back door, then take up rows of seats,” says Lt. Doug Cain II, supervisor of the public affairs unit for the State Police.

State Police presence is heavy at LSU games, with more than 80 officers on hand. “Before 9/11 there were maybe five, but now there are far more,” says State Police Lt. Col. Genny May.

But authorities have done much more than simply put more officers on the ground. A “fusion” center manned by multiple agencies constantly monitors for terrorist threats. State Police officials coordinate with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the Sheriff’s Office as well as the state Division of Administration’s cyber unit.

“They share information and collaborate to ensure the state is safe,” Cain says. “They look at other cities and stadiums to prepare the security measures taken at each game.” The fusion center is located at State Police headquarters on Independence Boulevard. A command post, however, is located on campus to coordinate game-related incidents. During the game, roving patrolmen maintain order in the stadium, while around 200 unarmed security guards patrol outside the stadium and in parking lots. There are guards who handle the locker rooms, and just before the end of games security on the field increases to keep fans off the turf.

“People think we’re being jerks, but we have to make sure the goal posts are secure and that the players—and even Mike the Tiger—remain safe,” says May.