New perimeter security upgrades include software modeling, engineering assessments and new barriersGETTY MAGES
Citizens Bank Park is poised to be the fifth MLB ballpark to gain Safety Act status from the Department of Homeland Security. The federal law gives approved sports venues and government contractors protections from lawsuits and potential damages if they are sued after a terrorist attack. Phillies Dir of Operations/Security Sal DeAngelis said the team and ballpark have worked together the past couple years to improve security in order to gain Safety Act designation. “We’ve done everything from vehicle inspections, K9, red team testing, additional training, and the cherry on top is this perimeter hardening project,” DeAngelis said. Red team testing refers to internal teams trying to find and exploit holes in physical or cyber security. New perimeter security upgrades have included software modeling, engineering assessments and the installation of 17 mobile barriers, 22 retractable bollards, 44 wedge gate barriers and more than 1,000 stationary bollards, said Catalyst Partners Principal Akmal Ali. The firm helps businesses and venues navigate the federal approval process. Perimeter hardening is a key aspect for sports venues getting Safety Act legal damages protections, Ali said. “When we started off with the Phillies, they had nothing. All they had to protect the stadium was a curb line, a typical curb line of three to four inches,” said Ali, a former deputy director in DHS’ Safety Act office. “In pursuit of Safety Act, the Phillies just went above and beyond. Essentially they went out and did all the things that were really hard and take a lot of money,” he said.
SHOULD BE READY BY OPENING DAY: DeAngelis said the new barriers as well as newly planted trees are scheduled to be in place for Opening Day. He did not disclose how much the team has spent on security upgrades. Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and Comerica Park already have Safety Act designations and certifications, marking the highest level of potential legal protection under the terrorism law. Busch Stadium has designation status. The Phillies applied for Safety Act status in November, and DeAngelis expects to hear back from DHS by May at the latest. DHS officials declined comment on the pending application. DeAngelis said there were not specific threats made against the ballpark that sparked the effort. “We have noticed that trending both domestically and abroad that the bad guy is using a vehicle as a weapon and we want to mitigate that risk at Citizens Bank Park,” he said.
