Mexico-Brazil soccer match sees increased security measures for fan safety
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, Texas (KBTX) – Handling large crowds at Kyle Field is nothing new for law enforcement, but some security changes were made in anticipation for the Mexico-Brazil soccer match.
Multiple law enforcement agencies come together to keep campus safe and secure, and they’re out in larger numbers. Law enforcement and security personnel could be spotted all around Aggie Park and Kyle Field.
University police said they’re always adapting and changing what they do to manage big events like this.
“It always goes back to planning, and it just requires us to go plan months in advance for events as large as this,” Texas A&M Police officer Robert Leseth said.
New security measures were introduced for the match. Fans weren’t able to bring in sealed bottled water like they can for football games. According to Leseth, they also added on ‘magnetometers,’ or metal detectors, specifically for the match.
“We’re always going to adapt to the challenges that come before us,” he added.
The College Station Police Department said they brought in more officers to monitor crowds in the stadium and to handle the extra out-of-town traffic. A spokesperson for the department said their agency manages roadways during events like this.
Fans who have experienced Aggie Gamedays previously, and are now experiencing the soccer match, said they feel confident in the security measures in place.
“I think it’ll be top-notch security from experience, I worked some of the games back then,” Vanessa Martinez, a former Aggie herself, said.
That feeling of safety, Martinez said, means being able to bring the whole family to Kyle Field. She said her little sister is the last to go to college, and ‘if everything goes well,’ she’ll join her sister as an Aggie.
