Ethan says:
I went to Yankee Stadium last night and was surprised that everyone entering the stadium is asked if they have a cell phone. If yes, then they are asked to take it out and turn it on. Why? I'm not sure, but boy do I feel safer knowing that everyone in the stadium has charged cell phone batteries!
Yankee Stadium Security Policy site (link) doesn't mention this brilliant security measure, but it is mentioned on NewYorkology's "Yankee Stadium Primer" along with the policy of require hats to be removed (no bald terrorists allowed?):
Reader comment:
Omri says:
As an Israeli Citizen, I can tell you exactly why they do this. They want to make sure the phones are not used to trigger explosive devices or are the devices themselves. By powering it on, they slightly increase security, though I'm sure it wouldn't be very hard to rig a trigger to look like a "working" cellphone.
Jonathan says:
Um, isn't the whole point of a cellular phone as a bomb trigger that
the phone actually *works* and can receive information from the
cellular network!? If anything, an uncharged battery foiling some
terror movie-style plot bomb threat might be pretty funny. Well, all
violence aside, pretty funny.
Joshua says:
In addition to the explosives-related comment, cell phones can (theoretically, and theories of "possible" threats are the entire foundation of this sort of security) also contain weapons.
A google image search for "cell phone gun", for example, turns up a lethal little example
That's just an annotated illustration, but such things have been manufactured and can work. It's hardly accurate for long-range shooting, but in close quarters that gun can kill as many people as it has bullets.
Ethan adds:
What struck me most about it is the fact that it is simply an inconvenience that gives the illusion of security. The only manner of cel phone detection is people volunteering that they have one. Presumably if someone is going to do something illegal with a non-functional cel phone, they will say, "Nope… no cel phone." I think Stadium security should cut to the chase (and skip the intermediate step of determining if a potential bad-guy is carrying non-functional cel phones) and simply ask, "Hey, are you carrying a bomb?"
Jay says:
While others may be on point regarding cell phone usage as bomb triggers, I think everyone so far has missed the true mark. Likely the reason they are doing this is to deter attendees from utilizing "secret agent" flasks shaped as cell phones, much like this one. Thankfully we don't have any such concerns up here in Portland, where I guess the logic is that a drunken spectator is still more secure than one above the influence.
Luis says:
In some stadiums in Europe, mobiles are required to be functional before being allowed inside the premises on certain matches. This happens because some years ago fans could easily take their old, broken "brick" mobiles (such as the Ericsson A1018) and hurl them in the direction of the visiting team fans, police, the referee or a player.
