Sign Of The Times: Metal Detectors Coming To Yankee Stadium Next Week
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- You have been warned.
In an attempt to get ahead of Major League Baseball's 2015 mandate to improve security at ballparks, the Yankees announced Friday that metal detectors will be in place at some entrances to Yankee Stadium starting Tuesday, when the team opens a three-game series against the Houston Astros.
The procedures are a part of MLB's continuing work with the federal government to standardize security practices league-wide. The use of metal detectors at the stadium will be in addition to bag checks and will become standard at all entrances starting next season.
As a result of the heightened security protocols, the Yankees are urging their fans to get to the ballpark earlier from now on.
"Nothing is more important to us at Yankee Stadium than the safety of the fans we serve," Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost said. "To that end, we are committed to the procedures that Major League Baseball and the Department of Homeland Security have asked us to implement. We want our fans to feel safe in Yankee Stadium, and our staff is dedicated to maintaining the highest security standards possible."
Starting Tuesday and continuing through the rest of the season, fans will be asked to remove cellphones and all large metal objects from their pockets before walking through metal detectors at select entrances. All bags will be checked and only MLB-compliant bags -- 16 inches by 16 inches by 8 inches or smaller -- will be admitted, the Yankees announced.
If fans choose to not go through a walk-through metal detector, they can be manually checked with a hand-held device, the Yankees said.
Metal detectors have been deployed at several stadiums this season, including Comerica Park in Detroit and Target Field in Minneapolis.
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