The Seattle Seahawks will station undercover police officers wearing opposing team jerseys throughout Lumen Field this season to identify fan code of conduct violations more effectively.
The team announced the security enhancement aims to “quickly detect guests violating the fan code of conduct” through covert monitoring rather than traditional uniformed police presence. Officers will monitor behaviours including over-intoxication, unruly conduct, harassment of other fans, obscene gestures, and interference with game operations.
The policy covers a comprehensive range of prohibited activities, from smoking and vaping to unauthorised merchandise sales, disorderly conduct, and entering restricted areas. The team specifically prohibits offensive language or gestures targeting race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, or national origin.
However, the approach has generated mixed reactions from local businesses and longtime fans. Rafael Corona, assistant manager at Pro Team Image on Occidental Avenue, questioned the effectiveness of undercover tactics compared to visible uniformed officers.
“In my opinion, I feel like [the officers] being like the regular police presence in their uniforms would help much better than them having like a NFL jersey,” Corona said. “[It would] definitely like makes the space feel more safer just because it gets pretty right here with this like high volume of traffic.”
Eddie McDougal, who works at multiple restaurants near Lumen Field and has supported the team for decades, endorsed the undercover approach. “Last time they had the uniforms on, they give the folks, whoever is causing the disruption, they can see [the officers], but when they’re undercover they can catch them quick and fast,” he said.
The timing may be particularly relevant for the season opener against San Francisco, where Vivid Seats projects 53 percent of stadium seats will be occupied by 49ers fans wearing red and gold. This visiting fan concentration could heighten tensions and test the effectiveness of undercover monitoring.
The policy raises questions about the balance between security and fan experience. Whilst supporters argue undercover officers can observe behaviour more naturally without deterring genuine fan enthusiasm, critics suggest visible law enforcement provides greater deterrent effects and reassurance for families attending games.
The approach also reflects broader trends in stadium security following incidents at various venues nationwide. Sports facilities increasingly employ sophisticated monitoring techniques, though the specific use of undercover officers in rival jerseys represents a relatively novel tactic.
For implementation, fans remain able to report inappropriate behaviour anonymously by texting HAWK12 (429512), maintaining the traditional reporting mechanism alongside enhanced enforcement presence.
The effectiveness of this strategy will likely depend on officer training in distinguishing between passionate fan behaviour and genuinely problematic conduct. Sports environments naturally involve heightened emotions, making the line between acceptable enthusiasm and code violations potentially subjective.
One season ticket holder since 2001 noted that serious incidents within the stadium are relatively rare but supported increased security measures for visiting fan safety. This perspective suggests the policy may be more about preventing isolated incidents than addressing widespread problems.
The undercover approach may prove most valuable during high-stakes games or rivalry matchups where fan tensions typically escalate. Whether officers wearing opposing jerseys can effectively blend into crowd dynamics whilst maintaining professional situational awareness remains to be tested through actual game conditions.
