Security Is Name of Game

The use of metal detectors or hand-held security wands cannot be ruled out when UCLA plays Ohio State at the Rose Bowl on Saturday before a crowd that could reach 80,000, Pasadena police said Monday.

Police also were granted an FAA ban on low-flying aircraft such as the blimps and banner-towing airplanes that are common sights during Rose Bowl events, and fans should be prepared to have their bags and belongings searched before going to their seats, said Pasadena Police Commander Mary Schander.

Such heightened security measures were echoed nationwide Monday as NFL and college football venues sought to assure fans that their safety would be paramount as play resumes in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks.

“The Rose Bowl has always been a safe venue; we’re looking harder to make sure we stay that way,” Rose Bowl General Manager Darryl Dunn said.

“Safety is priority No. 1, 2 and 3.”

Fans across the country were urged to do their share by arriving early and leaving behind items likely to raise security concerns, or bulky bags that will need to be searched at the gate. To help avoid the possibility of long lines, Rose Bowl gates will open two hours before Saturday’s 12:30 kickoff, Dunn said.

The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon resulted in the postponement of every major sporting event in the nation.

On Monday, leagues struggled to regain a sense of normalcy, even as the additional security measures underscored that sports perhaps have forever changed.

New policies differed from sport to sport. No coolers will be allowed at NASCAR’s races. Backpacks and briefcases will be searched at NHL venues. At Nebraska’s Thursday game against Rice, parking will no longer be permitted under the stadium, and noisemakers will be prohibited when South Carolina plays at Mississippi State.

The security measures announced by the NFL are the tightest since the 1991 playoffs and Super Bowl, which were played during the Gulf War. The new procedures for the league’s 31 teams include banning the carrying in of large bags and backpacks, increasing the ranks of uniformed police on hand and limiting parking nearest the league’s venues.

The league spent the last week communicating with the FBI, FAA and team security officials about what steps to take. It has also requested that the federal government restrict airspace over stadiums.

“It’s the FAA’s call, of course, but we’ve been encouraged by what they have told us,” league spokesman Greg Aiello said.

Locally, security measures are still being mapped out.

Authorities at the Coliseum, where USC plays its games, did not return phone calls seeking comment. School officials, however, noted that USC’s first home game is nearly two weeks away, giving officials time to make arrangements.

Most security measures stopped short of requiring use of metal detectors and hand-held security wands that are common at airports. Security sources noted that metal detectors would not be effective at staving off a large-scale attack.

In Pasadena, Schander and others declined to reveal the exact nature of security precautions, but she said “there may be” metal detection devices in use Saturday.

Security plans will be reviewed, and refined as the game grows closer, she said, and authorities will try to post any last-minute changes on the department’s Web site.

“We won’t discuss details,” she said. “We will take all precautions

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Staff writers Sam Farmer, Steve Henson and David Wharton and news wires contributed to this report.