Sheriff asks Diamondbacks fans for patience in ballpark security lines

PHOENIX — Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone asked fans to be patient Wednesday as they head to the Arizona Diamondbacks’ National League Wild Card game against the Colorado Rockies.

“We’re going to balance it between heightened security while still trying not to create too much inconvenience because we recognize this is as event meant to be enjoyed,” he told Doug & Wolf on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station. “We’re going to celebrate, hopefully, a Diamondbacks victory.”

Penzone echoed the team’s warning that fans should arrive at Chase Field early, especially as the 5:08 p.m. first pitch will come in the middle of the afternoon commute.

“As with all major events, we tell you to come early, because everything from parking to ingress and egress is going to be a challenge,” he said.

The sheriff said the heightened security was normal and had nothing to do with Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas.

“This is the cost of doing business and it has been for some time,” he said. “We recognize that entertainment events bring greater populations, which creates greater dynamics and we live in a world now, as a free society, where we face threats that maybe 20 years ago we weren’t concerned about.”

Penzone advised fans to do what they can to keep security lines moving.

“We want to make sure that you go online to the Diamondbacks, where they have the directives relative to what you can bring in and what you can’t and follow those rules,” he said.

“For most good people, it seems like an inconvenience when we have to hold you up because you’ve done something that is in violation of the policies but, at the end of the day, that’s for everyone’s safety.”

The sheriff said his agency has been coordinating with Phoenix police, but the public can help ensure everyone stays safe.

“Let’s extend the police force by whatever capacity is at the stadium there,” he said. “You are our eyes and ears.”

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