NFL takes charge against fan violence - Ingles

Should the Bay Area brace itself for Fans Gone Wild II?

Last Saturday night at Candlestick Park, at an exhibition game between the 49ers and Raiders, two fans were shot just outside the stadium, another was beaten severely in a restroom and numerous fights broke out.

Order and civility took a holiday. Was it an aberration, or the new deal?

Both teams host evening games this weekend-the 49ers tonight and the Raiders Sunday. The Chronicle spoke Friday with the NFL's director of security, Jeffrey Miller, who will be at both games.

Q: Were you coming out to both of these games anyway, or are you coming because of what happened?

A: Yeah, it's kind of because of what happened. I changed my schedule. I wanted to come out and see some things for myself.

Q: What will you be doing different at the two stadiums?

A: One of the main things that we need to do is ensure that the police are engaged in the lot in a way that allows us to be more proactive in the beginning. In other words, more of a community-policing presence.

(We want) the police to be engaged in such a way that in every single aisle of the tailgate, police are out there in teams of two, either on foot, on horseback, bicycles or motorcycles, and engaging fans, talking to fans, not in a heavy-handed way but in a way that if we see something, we immediately step in ... So just nip things in the bud ...

It really all comes back to order maintenance. If you create a sense of order maintenance in the parking areas during the tailgate, you're going to be successful. If you fail to do that ... then that's when we normally see a little bit of a breakdown.

I'll give you an example. ... In Oakland we recommended that we change the way we do the trash removal. And they took it one step further. Now the trash is removed (from the parking lots) before folks even enter the stadium. ... When you get the trash out of there, (fans) feel better. ... So if you can create (the feeling) that you're not going to tolerate the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.

No. 2, I recommended that we initiate something we're doing in Chicago. ... When it's time for kickoff, you're either inside the game or you have to leave (the stadium property).

That will be in place in San Francisco. I don't anticipate that it will be in place in Oakland, only because we haven't seen a need for it yet.

Q: How does police presence in the parking lot lessen the drunkenness and pregame drinking?

A: I don't claim to be a doctor in psychology, but I think what happens is people sense that, 'Hey, we're going to have fun, but it's not a no-holds-barred kind of thing.'

There's a subtle message that's sent by the fact that there is a sense of law and order here. ...

That's the only thing I can come up with, because we've seen a drastic reduction. I remember the first game I did, which was 2008, Monday night, Denver at Oakland, that was unbelievable. I saw officers assaulted right in front of me, people tased, people bleeding, it was terrible, and I've been in law enforcement for years. I thought, 'This is just not acceptable, we have got to get ahold of this.'

Last year when I went and watched that same game, I didn't see one assault on an officer, didn't see hardly a need for even an arrest. ... It's just night and day.

Q: I heard you mention that the 49ers consistently rate high in control of fan behavior. Apparently the league has a rating system. Is that ever made public?

A: It's an internal thing, it's not made public, it's provided to each owner. ...

First, we bring an auditing firm out and they look at our (stadium) practices. We break them down. There's about 40 different key metrics that are measured. ...

Then I bring out a research firm, we do 250 to 350 fan-intercept surveys at every stadium once a year. Those surveys are focused on how well we are doing with regard to fan conduct. ...

Third, when I came to the league we created a secure Web portal where all the teams supply information to me after every game. ...

Those three measures go together and we put together a very detailed rating and report that goes to each owner.

Q: Let me be the voice of the fan. I would like to know where my team rates.

A: I can assure you that if any of the clubs were failing to seriously address this or engage this program, that the commissioner would fine them and discipline them, and he hasn't had to do that, because the clubs have been very responsive. ...

We recently added something (on a trial basis, at two stadiums). ... If you're ejected for an alcohol-related offense, before you can be readmitted to that stadium, you would have to successfully complete a four-hour, online alcohol-awareness training program, at your own expense.

Q: How do you keep out the blacklisted people?

A: In the Meadowlands Stadium, believe it or not, they keep tabs of those folks and they actually look for them (at games). They've actually caught people trying to get into games that hadn't completed the program.

They have photos. Actually they call it their Knucklehead Squad. They go out and look for these people.

Q: What would you say to fans in the Bay Area who might be worried about going out to one of the two games this weekend?

A: I'd say come on out and enjoy the end of the preseason. ... We'll be there, and we'll be there in an enhanced way. We'll create a good environment for our fans.

In Bay Area: C.W. Nevius wonders whether 49ers fans can pass the civility test tonight. C1

Today's game

Who: Texans vs. 49ers

Where: Candlestick Park

When: 5 p.m.

TV/Radio: Channel: 5 Channel: 13 Channel: 46 / 1050, 107.7

New rules

Reacting to the violence at last week's 49ers-Raiders game, there will be new rules in effect at Candlestick Park:

-- Parking lots won't open until four hours prior to the game.

-- There will be an increase in police officers on site.

-- Tailgating must end once the game begins.

-- DUI checkpoints will be set up near the stadium.

-- Enforcement of laws regarding open alcohol containers in public will be stepped up.

This article was written by Scott Ostler and appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle.