NCAA FOOTBALL GAME SECURITY IN THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE: HOW CAMPUS POLICE ARE TRAINED AND EQUIPPED TO COMBAT TERRORISM

Abstract

College football stadiums in the Big Ten Conference can host 100,000 fans each home game, which make them potential targets for terrorists or lone wolves who seek to further their agenda through mass casualty events. This thesis answers the following question: How do campus police in the Big Ten Conference protect football stadiums against potential terrorist attacks and coordinate with outside agencies to ensure crowd security without sacrificing the fans’ experience? Using a multi-level analysis of the campus and stadium environment, this thesis identifies the different threats and complexities that beset the campus environment and how campus police utilize their resources to defend the football stadium environment. Additionally, this thesis draws comparisons to the security operations of the National Football League, specifically its use of common standards of security across all teams. Universities in the Big Ten have too many disparities between each stadium's security operation, which could lead to potential gaps in the future. This thesis concludes that mandatory reporting of pre-existing mental health conditions and creating common standards for stadium security will alleviate the disparities between each university and fill latent security gaps.