ST. LOUIS — There's nothing quite like a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium. The experience is a tradition among generations of families here, and it's a good one, thanks to the intricate security details that take place 24/7 to keep you and your family safe.
The man who leads the charge for security at the stadium is Phil Melcher.
He takes in quiet moments inside Busch whenever he can.
"Coming out here when there's nobody here and taking it in and just appreciating the beauty of this place is something I do every single day,” he said.
It’s Melcher’s job to keep tens of thousands of Cardinals fans safe at Busch Stadium. What Melcher sees when he steps out in the stands is much different than what fans see.
"During an event I start gauging the crowd. I start looking at people I know that we've got eyes on what's going on," he said.
Melcher is highly trained to be aware of his surroundings. His experience makes him capable of seeing and predicting things most people could never imagine.
“It's just the nature of who I am and all the things that I've done just have me with that head on a swivel mentality."
When you step inside Phil Melchers office at Busch, you'll quickly see where he gets that mentality. He's a Green Beret and former chief instructor for the special operations medical course.
“We trained the Navy Seals, Air Force Pararescue, Army Rangers, Green Berets," he said.
Melcher is a war hero. He spent time in Central America taking down Pablo Escobar's drug cartel. He speaks three languages, and before landing his dream job at Busch, he worked at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
"I'm more of an anomaly in baseball. There's a lot of guys with a lot of great experience that are secret service, police law enforcement, FBI that take these positions so I kind of had a little bit of everything when I applied for the job," explained Melcher.
Everything in Melcher's past prepared him for this position as director of security.
"We're obviously a target. We’re the second largest draw in MLB as far as attendance and we want to make sure that every single person feels safe and is safe," he explained.
Melcher said Busch Stadium is one of if not the safest place downtown. If you’ve ever been to a Cardinals game, then you know about the metal detectors and the bag checks that stop you before you’re let inside.
Those bag checks have turned up just about everything you can imagine.
“We probably could start our own cutlery section or illegal weapons section like brass knuckles, tasers, stun guns all that stuff,” Melcher said.
There are also concrete barriers that surround the entire perimeter of the stadium that Melcher says prevent a car from speeding into the crowds.
“If they're on the sidewalk they're going to be safe," he said.
At any given time during a Cardinals game, there are hundreds of staff trained to spot suspicious activity. That doesn't include the high-definition security cameras that can zero in on crucial details.
“We're looking for anything that's out of place," said Melcher.
He’s not just concerned about the safety inside the stadium. He also has to consider all the surrounding buildings that look into the stadium.
"Vegas taught us something that our perimeter doesn't stop at the end of our property. So, I work with all of these folks together to kind of talk about okay what kind of access do they have to the building? What kind of access do they to the floors? How does somebody go up an elevator?" he said.
With Melcher leading security, there isn't a stone left unturned and he doesn't do it alone.
One of the K-9’s who patrols the stadium is Tank. He can detect vapor mist.
"Let’s say if somebody walking with a bomb vest they've walked through an area Tank is able to pick up on those particles that are left in the air and track all the way to the source,” Melcher said.
There isn’t a truckload that gets inside the stadium until Tank has given it the sniff test.
For the fans who get a little rowdy and don’t comply, there’s a jail under the stadium with four holding cells.
"This is a place that not many people get to see. It’s usually people that have messed up and I affectionately call it cardinal jail," smiled Melcher.
Keeping Busch Stadium safe is a full-time operation, but it’s one Melcher says is worth every minute.
“I'm where I want to be. I’m at the top of my career. I love this job. I love working for this organization,” he said.