HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Safety is on almost everyone's mind when joining large crowds at public venues. With high school football season underway, that includes security at games.
Across the country, shootings have occurred at high school games. Two weeks ago, in Gwinnett County, a gun incident led to chaos at a high school game.
Some Central Georgia schools say security measures are the priority during and after school hours. It's especially true when they host rival games, such as the longtime rivalry between Northside Eagles and Warner Robins Demons.
"You are blessed in a mighty way to have that level of talent," Walter Stephens said.
Stephens is the director of school operations in Houston County. He stresses the importance of sportsmanship to his students.
"When we are engaging with other schools, we show them a level of respect, we show them a level of dignity, and we also show a level of hospitality when they come to our facilities," he continued.
To ensure everyone attending games in Houston County can enjoy themselves and root for their favorite team safely in the stadiums, Stephens assures safety is his number one priority through increasing the security presence for sporting events, with the help of the county's law enforcement partners. That includes the Warner Robins Police Department, Perry Police Department and Houston County Sheriff's Department.
The details of how many officers present vary depending on the size of the crowd, Stephens said.
"Depending on the size of the game, a lot of our plans are scalable based on the size of the crowd that we're expecting at all of our games," he said.
As the father of a student-athlete and athletic director at Peach County High School, Gregory Ellison wants his kids, athletes and the crowd to feel as safe as possible.
"When you get into a tighter environment, such as a basketball game, safety is very, very important because you're in an enclosed environment," Ellison said.
When the excitement for a rivalry game is high, so is the security presence on campus. Usually, no threats stick out; however, the bigger crowd size is enough for schools to prioritize more law enforcement, both Ellison and Stephens agreed.
The procedures followed at Houston County are also displayed at events drawing large crowds, like sporting events and commencement ceremonies.
Ellison explained that some of the proactive measures taken at his school are monitoring social media and interactions on and off campus within communities. When it comes to preventing anything before it happens, the athletic director will not risk anything breaking out on his watch.
"We're simply not gonna do that here," he said.
"We want you to leave all your cares and worries behind, if you will, and come and enjoy just some friendly competition amongst schools who are vying for bragging rights for an entire year," Stephens said.