Upped security, upped arrests at MetLife Stadium

Tightened security at MetLife Stadium, the home of the Jets and Giants, has generated a sharp rise in complaints for alleged criminal behavior ranging from ticket scalping to assault.

In 2010, the year the new $1.6 billion stadium opened, criminal complaints at home games surged -- from 46 in 2009 to 267 in 2010. Soliciting without a permit, including scalping tickets, in 2009: Zero. In 2010: 105. 'Improper behavior' in 2009: 19. In 2010: 68. Trespassing in 2009: 4. In 2010: 61.

Assaults jumped from eight in 2009 to 13 in 2010. Officials say the 2011 criminal complaint filings are consistent with last year's. Most of the complaints filed are for ticket scalping or selling goods without a permit, said Mark Lamping, MetLife Stadium's chief executive.

But assaults at NFL stadiums have made headlines in recent years. At the Jets' home opener on Sept. 11, a South Carolina man who wore the jersey of the team's opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, got into a fight with Jets fans and pulled out a stun gun and shocked three of them. He was arrested on aggravated assault and weapon possession charges and released on $22,500 bail. On Dec. 11, a New Jersey man was charged with aggravated assault after a fight in the parking lot at the conclusion of the Jets-Chiefs game.

Lamping and spokesmen for both the Jets and the Giants say that it is their concern for fan comfort, and a low tolerance for foul language and drunkenness, that have increased arrests and ejections from the stadium.

At MetLife Stadium, security has been dramatically increased, in the parking lot and in the stands, which has resulted in more arrests.

In addition, an anonymous texting system lets fans alert security officers to problems, allowing them to turn cameras to view that section.

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Lamping, the chief executive of the stadium -- a 50/50 partnership of both teams and built with private financing -- said complaints and arrests in and outside the venue -- mostly of scalpers and unlicensed vendors -- have increased because of a larger security presence: 525 guards and 140 New Jersey State Police compared with 290 security guards and 100 police officers at the old Giants Stadium.

Newsday obtained arrest and complaint records through Freedom of Information Law requests filed with the East Rutherford Municipal Court in New Jersey, where those charged are given appearance dates, and with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which operated Giants Stadium, the teams' home until last year. The records show a single arrest can produce multiple complaints.

Most charges are minor

Jets and Giants season-ticket holders say that the stun gun and beating incident were an anomaly. But some say the environment in the stadium can be intense and unsuitable for kids.

"Would you bring your kids to a nightclub or a bar?" asked Giants fan Kevin Kurz, 33, of Freeport. "In essence a football game has the same ambience. It is an adult environment."

Another fan, Howard Schoenfeld, 43, of Flushing, said he had a bad experience last year at a Giants-Washington Redskins game he attended with his 12-year-old daughter.

"There was a Redskins fan . . . cursing everyone out and then some Giants fans were giving it back to him," Schoenfeld said, adding that he won't bring his daughter back to a game.

Seasoned fans accept the situation at the stadium as part of the football experience.

"Those who are going to drink and abuse their privileges to drink are going to do that, and those who are responsible are going to be responsible," said Jets fan Victor Russomano, 42, of Asbury Park, N.J., who has been a season-ticket holder since 1974.

"The people who abuse alcohol at games are few and far between, but they are the ones who get focused on, not the 80,000 other people."

A Giants spokesman said improving fans' experiences is important. "Our fans have a significant investment in us, emotionally and financially, and we don't take that responsibility lightly to insure they have a positive experience," spokesman Pat Hanlon said in an email.

A Jets spokesman, Bruce Speight, said, "We have no tolerance for fans that disrupt or interfere with the ability of other fans to enjoy the game day experience with their family and friends."

The NFL has made stadium security across the country -- and comfort for fans -- a top priority for Jeff Miller, the NFL's security chief, who was hired in 2008. Miller is a former commissioner of the Pennsylvania state police.

At every NFL stadium, a "fan code of conduct" was instituted that same year governing behavior in stadiums and parking lots. The code requires fans to refrain from unruly and illegal behavior; intoxication; using foul or abusive language; and verbally or physically harassing opposing teams' fans.

Fans booted out of the stadium for excessive drinking have to participate in an online alcohol awareness program before they are allowed back in. The program was developed after MetLife partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to develop the program, which the NFL is taking nationwide. After the stun gun incident, the NFL began testing a hand-held metal detector system at random stadiums, including MetLife.

Barring drunk fans

Guards are barring drunk fans from entering the stadium, Lamping said. No more than two 16-ounce beers will be sold to a person at a time, and sale of alcohol in general seating areas is cut off after halftime. Security is now far less tolerant of offensive behavior, including vulgar language, he said.

"We are more aggressive in terms of ejections for foul language because we're trying to create some awareness that, if you do that, there's some consequences," Lamping said.

Officials say over the first 12 games this season at MetLife Stadium an average of 20 fans were ejected per game. Lamping said that is about five more than last year, a jump that he credits to a crackdown on vulgar language.

Tradition, tailgating

Pro football is a $9 billion industry and the nation's most popular sport. A stadium is a huge economic engine, drawing a national television audience and fans willing to spend hundreds of dollars on general seat tickets -- and thousands of dollars for a "personal seat license" -- as well as money on beer, hot dogs and merchandise such as team jerseys and hats.

Football is different from other sports. There are only eight regular season home games a year, and the games take on greater significance as the season progresses. Also, tailgating in the parking lot before a game is a long established tradition at football games. A popular image is that tailgating attracts parents and their children, who barbecue before watching their favorite team.

Both the Jets and Giants open their lots five hours before games for the benefit of fans, Lamping said. The NFL, however, recommends that teams open parking lots no earlier than three and a half hours before kickoff to reduce the amount of time fans can drink before entering the stadium.

"We think it's 100 percent appropriate in this marketplace to treat people like responsible adults," he said. "If they want to come in five hours before, let them come in. To go to fans up here and say, 'Look, we are going to cut back on the time you tailgate because of actions of a few,' I think would be penalizing the innocent to a degree that's not appropriate."

For his part, Miller said posting more police and security officers in the lots keeps the majority of tailgaters in check, which results in fewer inebriated people trying to get into the stadium at game time.

"It's really a smaller number of people than you'd actually consider who can't use alcohol in a moderate way and enjoy a game, but there are people you know who can't," Miller said. "And those are the people we have to deal with."