Finally an undercover operation I can enthusiastically support. The Seattle Seahawks has hired undercover police to wear San Francisco 49ers gear to catch thugs. It is an inspired idea. As many know, I love football (and of course God’s team The Chicago Bears) but I do not go to games anymore with my family because I cannot stand the drunken fans screaming profanities throughout the game. It has gotten out of control and the violent thugs have added an element of actual fear for some fans that they could be physically attacked.
I am not sure what has happened in the last decade but I recall being able to go to games and have a fun time just watching the game. There was always drinking and swearing but it has become 100 times worse in my view. Some cities like Philadelphia are notorious for having the worst problems with fan behavior. It seems like football games have become a license for people to be obnoxious drunks. The Seahawks game this Sunday will be one of the most challenging for both teams. The undercover police will also be looking for unruly behavior, foul or abusive language and verbal as well as physical harassment of opposing team fans or stadium guests and staff members. It is a real change for NFL teams. I have long felt like the team owners have abandoned their stadiums to the lowest common denominator. The result is that fewer families are going. I know at least five other families that no longer go to their respective teams because they do not want to expose their children to abuse from fans.
Football owners have to make a choice. They can keep the broadest fan base or surrender their stadiums to thugs. The Seahawks have made a choice and more importantly have taken action. The question is whether other teams will show the same responsibility.
Of course, with the fight last night at the Jets/Patriots game, fans can just watch players throw punches. It was a bizarre game to watch with both teams struggling. However, the decision to throw two players out of the game after the shoving match showed both teams in the worst light.
I live in Seattle where this news has been on all local tv and radio stations, so the thugs have been warned. I also have a friend who has season tickets and attends with his adult daughter, and they have never had a problem. However, I think everyone is happy that they are dressing in ‘Niners gear and will be a presence at The Clink (Century Link Field). It is a good move by the Seahawks and will keep the extreme rowdies under control. Good call, Seahawks! Besides, we have bigger fish to fry: there will be a Guinness Book of World Records for the loudest fans…so there is that, too.
Also, in WA there is for the most part no legal difference on whether a full time, fully commissioned police officer (formerly referred to as a General Authority Washington Peace Officer) is “on duty” or “off duty”. They have the exact same authority either way. A few departments only commission their reserves when they are in uniform or on assignment but this does not apply to full time officers.
As for if a private company contracts through a sheriff’s office or police deparment it does not affect here the enforceability of laws or the rights of the accused other than that the police can be given explicit discretion to act upon whether or not a person is considered trespassing. There have been times where homeowner’s associations have contracted with local law enforcement agencies for extra patrols and it doesn’t affect the authority of the officer.
I haven’t been to a football game in Seattle but the Baseball games have both Seattle PD and King County Sheriff’s Office. They work overtime duty that is paid by the team as billed through their departments. (for various reasons)
Two statutes would be applicable, Seattle Municipal Code (for SPD) and the Revised Code of Washington (For ther agencies)
SMC 12A.12.010 Disorderly conduct.
A. A person is guilty of disorderly conduct if he or she intentionally, maliciously and unreasonably disrupts any assembly or meeting of persons and refuses or intentionally fails to cease such activity when ordered to do so by a police officer or by a person in charge of the assembly or meeting. B. The following definition applies in this section: “Malice” or “maliciously” shall impart an evil intent, wish or design to vex, annoy, or injure another person. Malice may be inferred from an act done in willful disregard of the rights of another, or an act wrongfully done without just cause or excuse, or an act or omission of duty betraying a willful disregard of social duty. Malicious intent shall not be construed to mean the exercise of one’s constitutional rights to picket, or to legally protest.
RCW 9A.84.030
Disorderly conduct.
(1) A person is guilty of disorderly conduct if the person:
(a) Uses abusive language and thereby intentionally creates a risk of assault;
(b) Intentionally disrupts any lawful assembly or meeting of persons without lawful authority;
(c) Intentionally obstructs vehicular or pedestrian traffic without lawful authority; or
(d)(i) Intentionally engages in fighting or in tumultuous conduct or makes unreasonable noise, within five hundred feet of:
(A) The location where a funeral or burial is being performed;
(B) A funeral home during the viewing of a deceased person;
(C) A funeral procession, if the person described in this subsection (1)(d) knows that the funeral procession is taking place; or
(D) A building in which a funeral or memorial service is being conducted; and
(ii) Knows that the activity adversely affects the funeral, burial, viewing, funeral procession, or memorial service.
(2) Disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor.
Washington’s supreme court declared public intoxication laws unconstitutional back in the 1980’s.
“Football owners have to make a choice. They can keep the broadest fan base or surrender their stadiums to thugs.”
Wrong. They already made that choice, and they did it voluntarily. They don’t give a crap about families attending games, they want the beer-swilling thugs to buy tickets.
NFL total revenues were $9.5 billion in 2012, or about $300 million per team. The NFL average ticket price is $200, so eight games in a 60,000 seat stadium only comes to $96 million.
Barely a third of their revenues come from seats in the seats. Why would the NFL worry about the stands being full of violent thugs when the families watching at home are worth more money?
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/01/28/In-Depth/NFL-revenue-streams.aspx
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jesselawrence/2013/09/07/saints-and-broncos-lead-the-way-for-nfl-week-one-ticket-prices/
If the NFL owners could make more money playing in empty stadiums, they would.
I disagree…. Once the emergency was not exigent… The officers ability to run around with the overhead lights in was over…. This is a misuse of county owned equipment….
Re: Ottery Scribe
Good points about off-duty officers never being off-duty. As long as they are enforcing statutes and ordinances enacted by a legislature (Ex: Assault & Battery, etc.) and not enforcing manners, politeness and subverting constitutional speech – which is very subjective to the tastes of the individual officer.
Also can the off-duty officer run background checks, use police databases, etc. if there is no probable cause or reasonable suspicion of a crime? Any statutes or ordinances passed by a legislature are also subject to be challenged for constitutionality, an individual officer’s judgement is not.
Remember, Freedom of Speech was designed to protect unpopular and even offensive speech – popular speech doesn’t need protection. Sports fans sometimes say many unpopular and offensive things but shouldn’t end up on the police radar screen.
And you only went to Bears games, you should of tried a few Raider games when they were in Los Angeles. We had season tickets one season was enough
Stunning. I read a lot of news and Mr. Turley is the 1st report I have read about this. I have known about the degenerating fan base in Europe. And now it has come to are shores. This is a very sad state of affairs. This will be the the same generation that pulls the euthansia plug on the baby boomers. May God help us.
The last Pro Football game I attended was the Jets in perhaps 1974. It was a cold November Day in NYC and though dressed warmly all I could think of is when will this game end, rather than who was winning. TV gives you the best seats in the house to watch the game and you don’t have to worry about the rowdies who attend.
How pathetic, and what an indictment it is of the people in America who worship the Idles of entertainment venues and behave in evermore illegal and disrespectful manners. Not being very American in my book!
Soldier’s Field isn’t too bad, compared to the east coast.
davidblue, I’m w/ you. However, living in the Midwest, that horseshit is less than on the coasts, particularly the east coast. I’m gong to be hitting PNC Park in Pittsburgh on my way home from the east coast visiting family and friends. That will be my 27th MLB park. It will be a Monday, which is often the most civilized of days. The Pirates story is a good one this year. I grew up loving Clemente. I played baseball w/ Puerto Ricans growing up and learned just how important he was, before the historians did. I was in Three Rivers Stadium but that was horseshit, as were all the cookie cutter parks of the 70’s, the dark ages of stadium architecture.
Lrobby, While Lambeau has little violence as compared to many NFL stadiums, it is high up there in sloppy intoxication. There are a few other stadiums w/ lower violence, Arrowhead being one, and Denver is not too bad. However, they all have alcohol problems w/ the vulgarities associated. I am no prude. But, when my kids were young I had a problem taking them to NFL games. While there is boorish behavior @ other sports, the NFL is in it’s own league, as it were. Seeing fall down drunks is not for kids, IMO. The worst was/is Philly, followed closely by Giants Stadium and New England. The northeast is always the leader in drunken violence, no matter the sport.
Ross,
I believe these are off duty officers hired by the stadium. Not taxpayer funded.
Many departments allow their officers to be in uniform when they moonlight as private security, because under the regulations, no officer is truly “off duty.” There are situations where it is better to have a sworn officer rather than a security guard who may not have authority to arrest an offender.
My sports enthusiasm is waning. I have been a major listener and viewer of sports talk. Many hosts talk of the rude and aggressive fans. …. But not always in negative terms, and often attempt to justify this unruly behavior.
Aggression is idolized and promoted as a worthy talent for the players. There is a transference of this behavior as good when fans exhibit it in the stands, or worse, the rest rooms. I have heard many callers share their stories of people getting beat up in restrooms. The common and too often accepted justification is, “He had the opposing team jersey on” !!!
I no longer attend football games. I would like to, but I don’t need to expose myself, or family and friends to the base, beer fueled, testosterone worshiping and emulating, neanderthal cavemen
Should it be private security paid for by the fans instead of taxpayer funded police officers? There is also a Freedom of Speech concern if using constitutional officers funded by taxpayers.
Then there is the issue of mission creep and the slippery slope which is a question of “when” not “if” – it always happens!
Are American sporting fans taking a cue from soccer hooligans? Glad the first step is being taken to put a stop to this before it becomes a habit. This is not the first incident of course, but let’s hope they are few and far between in the future. One of the main things that can be done is have enough high quality security cameras that any incident in the stands or parking lots will be caught on camera and offenders identified. Then prosecute offenders to the maximum allowed. Of course, the perps should be sued civilly to pay the medical expenses of the victims. I cannot feel sorry for anyone who does this kind of thing if they lose their house, car and savings.
All too many incidents like this are alcohol fueled, but I don’t see stadiums stopping sales of beer anytime soon. One thing I learned while living in St. Louis. NEVER go to a Cards game on free beer night.
Gene,
If they did… They became the next spectator sport….
Try Lambeau Field. Entirely different atmosphere from Philly, probably from Soldier too. And your geography needs help. God’s Team would also be the one and only People’s Team. Look a couple hundred miles north of Chicago, up in God’s Country. Saint Lombardi be praised.
I wonder if the Romans had this problem?