Rowdy Patrons Led To Court At Philly's Veterans Stadium

A courtroom installed in the basement of Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium curbed rowdy fans' offensive behavior for three of the National Football League's Eagles' home games.
Presided over by Judge Seamus McCaffrey, and stuck in a former maintenance room, it was to be in place until the Dec. 7 Eagles vs. Giants game.
Philadelphia Councilman James Kenney and Mayor Ed Rendell, in conjunction with Eagles' owner Jeffrey Lurie, came up with the idea after an upsetting Eagles vs. 49ers game, which was broadcast on Monday Night Football
'The Eagles were losing and it was a little bit crazy,' said Mike Dimuzio, stadium operations director for the Philadelphia Phillies, who also make their home at Veterans Stadium. 'There were a lot of fights and quite a few who were under the influence. Quite a few fans ran onto the field. It gave the city a black eye.'
The first time it was utilized, during the Eagles vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers Nov. 23, 20 arrests were made and 17 were convicted. Fines ranged from $150 to $300 for offenses ranging from drinking in public to fighting, he said.
The Nov. 30 Eagles vs. the Cincinnati Bengals resulted in five arrests and four convictions.
Eagles spokesperson Ron Howard explained, 'The presence of the courtroom will reduce the need for it altogether.'
'A neighborhood court system has been in place for 18 months in Philadelphia,' he said. 'They have them on place on South Street, where there are a number of bars, but they are in the police stations.
Dimuzio said the stadium's courtroom saved time and avoided contempt of courts, as police made their arrests and brought the parties directly downstairs for a hearing.
'Rather than wait for a hearing, it can be done right there and then,' Dimuzio said. 'They (even) made it look like a regular courtroom. But the room won't be their permanent location. It's the Phillies' maintenance room, and soon it will be turned into someone's office.' Season ticketholders found guilty were automatically subject to revocation of the passes. Also, any third party using season ticket holders' seats would subject the ticket holder to having ticket privileges permanently revoked.
(c) BPI Communications Inc., 1997 ALL RIGHTS RESERVE
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