High-tech eyes of Texas security are watching

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)—Scanning the two wall-mounted monitors filled with dozens of live camera shots, University of Texas police officer W.R. Pieper spies something he doesn’t like: an unattended bag in the middle of a growing crowd.

He quickly dispatches uniformed officers who climb stairs and bleachers, only to discover it’s nothing but a harmless, oversized purse that belongs to a woman taking pictures with her family one row away.

No harm done, but it was a clear example of how the high-tech eyes of Texas are always watching the huge crowd at Longhorns football games.

“Big Brother is watching,” Pieper said.

Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium has been outfitted with 43 surveillance cameras to keep an eye on the 101,000 who fill the seats and hallways and spill into the perimeter on game days.

The cameras can focus close enough to see facial expressions or catch someone sticking a bottle of alcohol under the bleachers.

“They can zoom in on people drinking and boom, we’ve got officers there,” campus police chief Robert Dahlstrom said. “An officer will reach down, wave the bottle for the camera and off they go.”

Texas used to have just four cameras watching. The security upgrade cost about $400,000 and was done as part of a $175 million stadium expansion and renovation in recent years. The new cameras were put in before this season.

University officials had been wanting to make major upgrades ever since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington in 2001.

“That changed everything,” athletic director DeLoss Dodds said. “It’s just something you have to do today.”

Earlier this football season, federal officials issued warnings saying terrorists would like to attack stadiums. Michigan banned bags and purses, other than those needed for medical reasons with supporting documentation, and other schools also beefed up security.

At Texas, university police allowed The Associated Press access to their game-day security control room about 90 minutes before the Longhorns’ game against Colorado on Oct. 10.

From his spot in front of the monitors, Pieper can see just about everything that moves in and around the stadium.

Two children carefully negotiate stairs while carrying drinks to their seats. A family of five poses for pictures. Their problem was they left the purse about 10 feet away.

When he called for the officers to check it out, Pieper trained several cameras on the bag to get as many angles as possible, still leaving dozens to keep scanning the rest of the stadium.

Game day is a much more controlled environment than it used to be. Long gone are the days of taking tickets until halftime, then letting everyone come and go as they please. Bomb-sniffing dogs sweep through before the gates are open.

The university also has partnered with AT&T for a special text messaging system that allows fans to report emergencies, drinking or fights, or any unruly behavior.

“Usually the crowd itself will tell us about a problem,” Dahlstrom said.

Police eject about 40 people per game and average two or three arrests. When Texas played Texas Tech at night on Sept. 19 and won 34-24, the number of arrests spiked to about 12.

“Most are alcohol related,” Dahlstrom said. “People get drunk or are belligerent.”