Phillies fans attending Monday night's game will be greeted by a new security measure -- metal detectors.
"The safety of our guests is our top priority," said Sal DeAngelis, Phillies director of operations and security. "Next year, we expect that metal detectors will be at all entrance gates."
After having their tickets scanned, guests who enter Citizens Bank Park through the Right Field Gate must remove cameras, cell phones and all other metal objects from their pockets, and then pass through the detectors.
Unlike the TSA's procedures at the airport, shoes and belts do not have to be removed. Those who cannot pass through the metal detectors, which were installed July 7, will be checked with a hand-held device.
The ball club's latest safety initiative is part of a pilot program mandated by Major League Baseball, which will require every team to screen fans entering ballparks by the start of the 2015 season.
Major League Baseball worked with the Department of Homeland Security to implement the new screening procedures with the goal to promote security practices at baseball games.
Bag checks, which are already underway at Citizens Bank Park, will continue while the pilot program runs.
