Twins Announce New Security Policies At Target Field
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Despite two straight losses in Cleveland, the Minnesota Twins are still a first-place ball club.
The Twins winning ways means more fans, which led to long wait times to get into Target Field over Memorial Day weekend. As a result, the team announced significant security changes Thursday.
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One of the main changes will happen this coming Tuesday. Fans walking into the stadium won't have to be put their keys or cellphones in a dish anymore. They can simply hold them or leave them in their pockets as they walk into Target Field. The Twins have installed new software in the magnetometers that will now beep only if a weapon is detected.
A bag-change policy will also begin on July 5 when the Twins play the Texas Rangers. Bags and purses with single zippers won't be a problem. Neither will drawstring and diaper bags, clear bags or medical device bags.
But multi-compartment bags and backpacks will no longer be allowed. Matt Hoy, the team's senior vice president of operations, says they are trying to avoid what happened over Memorial Day weekend.
"Say [we had] 39,000 people here. If a third of them have a bag, that's 13,000 bags. And if you have to go through five, 10 pockets on each one, the math just doesn't work and it creates … a substantial wait for everybody," Hoy said. "We're doing everything we can to try and streamline the guest experience after entering the ballpark."
Even with these new policies in place, the Twins still want fans to arrive early. Gates open an hour-and-a-half before first pitch during the week, and two hours before first pitch on the weekends.
Beginning July 5, bags larger than 16 x 16 x 8 will also not be allowed into the stadium. Here is more information on the new entry policies.
