By IAN LOVETT

Published: April 9, 2011 LOS ANGELES — When fans around the country think of Dodger Stadium, many still picture a gracefully aging park with an easy atmosphere, where fans are known for arriving late and leaving early in hopes of beating the traffic, and where the soundtrack is still provided after all these years by the broadcaster Vin Scully. But that lingering image of a laid-back urban haven was shattered on opening day, when two people severely beat a San Francisco Giants fan in a parking lot after the game and left him with possible brain damage. The March 31 episode serves as a sobering reminder that Dodger Stadium no longer seems to fit its former image, and that many fans have become uneasy going there. As Bryan Stow, a 42-year-old Giants fan, remained in a medically induced coma at a local hospital and the police continued to search for his assailants, city and Dodgers officials worked to reassure the public about safety at the stadium. On Friday, the Los Angeles police chief, Charlie Beck, announced a set of new security measures at the ballpark, including increased police presence at games.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ owner, Frank McCourt, who seemed slow to react to the incident, has hired the former chief of the police forces of Los Angeles, New York and Boston, William J. Bratton, to assess security at the stadium, which opened in 1962 and is one of the oldest in Major League Baseball.

“I’ve heard from the fans and the citizens of this community that they are uncomfortable with the behavior of some at Dodger Stadium,â€