With thousands of people packed into stadiums for sporting events, it is imperative that security measures at such events be strong. Given that terrorists could target an event with many viewers, extra precautions must be taken in order to avert disaster from occurring.
At high profile events, you should expect to see sniffer dogs, pat downs and snipers present. While snipers cannot eliminate every threat completely, their presence provides an advantage by giving a bird’s-eye view of an entire crowd and the potential risks it may contain.
Are Snipers Present at Sports Events? Yes, snipers can often be found at sporting events. A number of different police departments employ teams specifically trained for this task and ensure that these snipers have an outstanding view of both the playing field and surrounding area.
After September 11 and increased security measures have become standard practice, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones shared with CNN that his new stadium already contained sniper perches for use by law enforcement snipers.
It is common for the FBI to send in teams of highly trained snipers to monitor any potential threats at large public events like Super Bowl or similar sports tournaments and concerts. These experts can often be deployed weeks in advance and still provide high-level surveillance with precision.
Snipers at football games are trained to assess crowd behavior and detect any suspicious activity, a crucial skill as crowds of spectators are an ideal target rich environment where weapons could easily be hidden amongst them and cause havoc.
Two Minute Warning, released in 1976, depicts this violent scenario where an evil sniper establishes a nest inside Los Angeles Coliseum during a football match and kills many spectators, both directly through bullet fire as well as creating panicked stampedes which ultimately result in their deaths.
Police also deploy snipers at football games and stadiums around them; these snipers aren’t responsible for protecting the players but instead provide an aerial perspective of all of the action taking place at each stadium.
Whenever they detect suspicious behavior or activity, snipers in the ground level position are dispatched immediately to investigate. Snipers at football games are highly trained in using binoculars and are typically wearing concealing uniforms to minimize visibility.