By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Spectators at the St. Joseph Central-Lafayette football game at Noyes Field last Friday were greeted by metal detectors at the entrances.
It's a new security measure that was put in place by the St. Joseph School District on September 24 following a scary situation at the Lafayette-Savannah game the week before.
Robert Sigrist, director of non-academic services for the district, says local law enforcement apprehended a 17-year-old at Alumni Stadium, who was in possession of a firearm. Two juveniles were arrested at the stadium in connection to a shooting in the 5500 block of Pryor Avenue that same night.
"One of our SROs noticed those individuals at the game," Sigrist recalled, "which was great that he was aware and had that ability to discern that. Turned out one of those individuals was in possession of a gun, so it was a bit of a tense situation."
Officer Herrera and Detective McGinnis of the St. Joseph Police Department responded to the situation, as did Officer Dudick of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, who was off duty, but was at the game watching his son, Ethan, compete for Savannah.
The teenager faces a Class B felony of unlawful use of a weapon in Buchanan County Juvenile Court. Weapons are also prohibited on St. Joseph School District property.
After the incident, Sigrist said school officials had a serious discussion about what to do increase security at football games. Metal detectors were soon ordered, and put in place at all three of the district's football fields - all done in enough time before the next game on Sept. 24.
"We were fortunate with the way supply chains are right now to get that turned around and done very quickly," Sigrist said. "We were able to have that in place last Friday night for the Central-Lafayette game."
All went well, as dozens of fans packed the stands to watch Central beat Lafayette 63-56 in overtime at Noyes Field. Sigrist said fans were pretty understanding and cooperative about the changes.
"I think most people understand that if you go to a game at Arrowhead or you go to a concert or the courthouse, being wanded in and going through a metal detector and emptying your pockets is not something that's a foreign concept to most of us."
Sigrist says the metal detectors will only be implemented at the school district's football games for the time being.
"That's where our largest crowds are," he said. "Obviously, it's where we've had a concern. So, I'm not saying that it wouldn't be on the table, but right now, we're not looking at moving it beyond that."
As troubling as the incident was at the Lafayette-Savannah game, Sigrist expresses gratitude that nobody was hurt and that football fans who watch games within the St. Joseph School District can have a little more peace of mind when they arrive at the stadium.
"At least we will have a little bit more confidence that our events will be more safe and there will be nobody with weapons at the game."
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