By JIM VERTUNO
AP Sports Writer

AUSTIN, Texas(AP) -- Scanning the two wall-mounted monitors filled
with dozens of live camera shots, University of Texas police
officer W.R. Pieper spies something he doesn't like: an
unattended bag in the middle of a growing crowd.

He quickly dispatches uniformed officers who climb stairs and
bleachers, only to discover it's nothing but a harmless,
oversized purse that belongs to a woman taking pictures with her
family one row away.

No harm done, but it was a clear example of how the high-tech
eyes of Texas are always watching the huge crowd at Longhorns
football games.

"Big Brother is watching," Pieper said.

Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium has been outfitted with
43 surveillance cameras to keep an eye on the 101,000 who fill
the seats and hallways and spill into the perimeter on game
days.

The cameras can focus close enough to see facial expressions or
catch someone sticking a bottle of alcohol under the bleachers.

"They can zoom in on people drinking and boom, we've got
officers there," campus police chief Robert Dahlstrom said. "An
officer will reach down, wave the bottle for the camera and off
they go."

Texas used to have just four cameras watching. The security
upgrade cost about $400,000 and was done as part of a $175
million stadium expansion and renovation in recent years. The
new cameras were put in before this season.

University officials had been wanting to make major upgrades
ever since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and
Washington in 2001.

"That changed everything," athletic director DeLoss Dodds said.
"It's just something you have to do today."

Earlier this football season, federal officials issued warnings
saying terrorists would like to attack stadiums. Michigan banned
bags and purses, other than those needed for medical reasons
with supporting documentation, and other schools also beefed up
security.

At Texas, university police allowed The Associated Press access
to their game-day security control room about 90 minutes before
the Longhorns' game against Colorado on Oct. 10.

From his spot in front of the monitors, Pieper can see just
about everything that moves in and around the stadium.

Two children carefully negotiate stairs while carrying drinks to
their seats. A family of five poses for pictures. Their problem
was they left the purse about 10 feet away.

When he called for the officers to check it out, Pieper trained
several cameras on the bag to get as many angles as possible,
still leaving dozens to keep scanning the rest of the stadium.

Game day is a much more controlled environment than it used to
be. Long gone are the days of taking tickets until halftime,
then letting everyone come and go as they please. Bomb-sniffing
dogs sweep through before the gates are open.

The university also has partnered with AT&T for a special text
messaging system that allows fans to report emergencies,
drinking or fights, or any unruly behavior.

"Usually the crowd itself will tell us about a problem,"
Dahlstrom said.

Police eject about 40 people per game and average two or three
arrests. When Texas played Texas Tech at night on Sept. 19 and
won 34-24, the number of arrests spiked to about 12.

"Most are alcohol related," Dahlstrom said. "People get drunk or
are belligerent."