The head of the Las Vegas police union stated on Friday that officers will not follow the NFL’s new access policy for certain parts of Allegiant Stadium and that the league has no authority to enforce these rules.
Steve Grammas, president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, mentioned that union leaders discussed the issue with NFL security officials for about an hour on Friday morning, just before the Raiders’ preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.
He said the NFL was informed that officers would only use wristbands to enter and would not undergo photo identification or biometrics. An officer near an Allegiant Stadium entrance about five hours before the game was seen wearing a wristband.
“They didn’t like it, but they didn’t have a choice,” Grammas said. “We told them what we were going to do.”
He added that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Sheriff Kevin McMahill supported the union’s position. The department had previously issued a statement supporting the union in response to the issue before the Raiders’ preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
“We made it very clear we weren’t going to bend on this issue,” Grammas said.
The NFL has not yet responded to requests for comment, but the league released a statement last week about its new security plan, which all 32 teams are expected to follow. The league said that access photos will only be used to verify identity and for no other purpose.
