When Tiger Stadium is not hosting 102,321 crazy Tiger fans in the fall, it sits quietly on the west side of campus. Being one of college football’s most attractive venues, it’s not immune to the occasional unlawful intruder.
LSUPD has dealt with several incidences of trespassing over the past few years, according to LSUPD spokesperson Lt. Kevin Scott. The most recent incident occurred Jan. 3, when vandals entered Tiger Stadium and defaced the field.
“Someone or some persons, more than one, entered the stadium overnight, in the early morning hours, and accessed the field and possibly caused some damage,” Scott said.
A large tarp covered the stadium’s turf the following day. According to WBRZ, the vandals may have been inside the stadium as long as 65 minutes. Scott said the investigation is ongoing, and details are limited at this time.
The LSU Athletic Department has complete control and custodianship of Tiger Stadium. Scott said LSUPD and the Athletic Department communicate on a daily basis to keep security as stable as possible.
“Stadium security in itself is a continuous cycle of improvement, a constant thing, a fluid thing because it’s such a popular target,” Scott said.
In regards to the stadium’s security and recent trespassing incident, the Athletic Department provided the following statement: “The stadium is locked every day and only employees have access to the stadium. Gates are checked at the end of work everyday to make sure they are secure. Access into the stadium by the trespassers has not been determined. Investigation is still ongoing.”
While football season may seem like the most obvious time for potential intruders, Scott said there isn’t a specific time when similar incidents take place.
“There’s no rhyme or reason on timing,” Scott said.
One notable incident, however, did occur during the Tiger’s 2016 season, when two 18-year-old Alabama students were caught trespassing after they “scratched” the eye of the Tiger on the field’s turf.
“Typically, it’s students from this school or another school that, whether it’s someone pressured them or they felt it to be something fun,” Scott said.
For University students, Scott said there are potentially both administrative and criminal penalties that could come with committing such a crime.
“Those penalties, criminally, can range from a summons for criminal trespassing. You can be booked into Parish prison for that offense,” Scott said. “All the way up to burglary depending on what you do once inside.” 
Some security improvements that have been implemented at the stadium in recent years include the external fencing system and card readers for gate access. Scott said on Jan. 11 University officials were set to discuss improvements to the exterior safety measures. He also said external circumstances play a big role in making these security advancements. 
“Future improvements depend on a lot of environmental factors,” Scott said. “Budgetary constraints, reasonable steps for reasonable risks, is really what it’s all about.”
 Even with the locked gates and high fencing that surrounds Death Valley, there are actually no signs that read “no trespassing” on the outside fence. Scott said, however, the potential criminal charges are not worth seeing something one could potentially ask to see. 
“You know what, if you just ask, we might take you in there and take a peek,” Scott said.

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Jordan Marcell

Padlocks seal the gates of Tiger Stadium on Jan. 10, 2017 as security heightens in response to the recent vandalizing.