The Recipe for Stadium Security
A comprehensive approach to stadium security begins with ingredients that aid situational awareness and incident response, while simultaneously creating a positive fan experience and boosting operational efficiencies
The threat landscape of stadium security is fluid. Today’s venues and stadiums have operational security 24/7, hosting sporting events, community events, concerts, conventions and more – each with a unique visitor base and each with unique security risks.
As entertainment businesses, one of the necessary focuses for stadiums is providing a positive fan experience. But providing this positive experience from tailgating to egress while also protecting staff and visitors from unknown risks is a delicate balance.
Expectations are High
According to the NCS4 2023 Spectator Sports Safety and Security Survey, approximately 69% of survey participants consider safety and security when choosing to attend an event. Security risks are also high. Stadiums must combat the unknown, along with maintaining a proactive stance surrounding active shooter or fan violence scenarios, emergency weather events, missing children, theft, stalkers or banned spectators. Indeed, a survey from Sportsbook Review published September 2023 revealed that almost 40% of NFL fans alone have witnessed a crime at or around an NFL stadium, including physical violence and public intoxication.
For stadium security stakeholders, reacting quickly both during and after incidents is just as important as being proactive and curbing potentially dangerous scenarios. The good news is that attendees are ready, and even expecting, to see safety and security measures in place. According to the NCS4 2023 survey, 73% of respondents said they prefer security and safety measures to be visible.
Public acceptance of physical security measures opens the door for stadiums and entertainment venues to take advantage of today’s advanced technologies to enhance security in a big way while providing a positive fan experience and boosting operational efficiencies at the same time. To achieve these multi-pronged benefits, venue directors must take time to consider their technology, collaboration and integration.
Applying Surveillance Technology
Carefully chosen surveillance technology can be one of the most critical ingredients of a stadium’s layered security approach on both the perimeter and inside the stadium. The perimeter of a stadium is now expanded farther outside the building than in the past and venue directors need situational awareness before spectators come through the gates to deter unruly behavior as well as streamline entry and egress.
Cameras can create a visual presence for deterrence while also monitoring potentially aggressive crowds or areas that need attention. The technology allows operations staff to monitor gate flow and make informed decisions about redirecting staff to various locations to expedite ticket scanning, bag checks or even concession sales. In the event of bigger bottlenecks, security can redirect fans to a less crowded entrance or area of the stadium. Wait time apps and signage can use camera data to reduce crowds and inform spectators about wait times at particular gates or vendors.
The high-resolution of today’s IP cameras allow stadiums to better document scenarios and gain visual details for locating missing children, detecting theft, and documenting accidents or investigating lawsuits. At the Milwaukee Bucks’ Fiserv Forum arena, for example, the organization uses 20-megapixel network cameras and PTZ cameras in their upper and lower bowls so security staff can identify a person in a specific seat in the event they need to eject someone or give them a warning for egregious behavior. Visual clarity and detail allow staff to ensure they are approaching the correct person.
The cameras at Fiserv Forum are also assets for emergency response. For example, outside of the arena during the Milwaukee Marathon, security received a medical call from the crowded plaza. Staff in the operations center were able to quickly pull up cameras in the area and pinpoint the exact location and details of the event to share with first responders.
Incorporating analytics into a video surveillance system allows stadiums to garner further value from their camera technology. In addition to queue monitoring for spectator experience and staffing, crowd intelligence analytics can be useful to detect unruly behavior or violence. Such analytics, along with gunshot detection technology, can be helpful both inside and outside stadiums.
Facial recognition can detect stalkers or banned persons on the premises. Cross line detection or digital fencing will automatically alert staff to visitors in restricted areas. When coupled with access control and even audio systems, stadium security stakeholders can see who or what is approaching and allow for an informed response. Smart search analytics are fundamental in allowing organizations to comb through their data efficiently and reduce the need for staff to spend time manually weeding through hours of video.
Streamlining Investigations and Response
At Fiserv Forum, the security team uses its cameras to visually document everything from overseeing bartender’s serving drinks from the liquor cabinet to vehicle accidents in the parking lot. With recorded evidence, the organization has averted potential lawsuits, ousted unruly fans and even recovered damages from careless delivery drivers. In one particular case, an altercation in the stands led to police escorting a fan from the stadium. The fan’s lawyer attempted to sue the police, claiming they assaulted his client. The video proved otherwise, and the suit was dropped.
At American Airlines Center in Dallas, the security staff monitor live and recorded video 24/7 from its 200-plus network cameras in the seating bowl, multiple concourses, lobby areas, retail space and rooftop. Linked with a VMS, the cameras are useful for investigations, such as altercations in the seats during a game. During one such altercation, one of the parties insisted that another guest be ejected from the premises. The patron complained that guest services failed to manage the situation correctly and demanded the responding employee be fired. Security reviewed the video of the incident, and it told a different story, however. When the patron was confronted with the video evidence the complaint was rescinded and the employee kept their job.
Furthering Operational Efficiencies
Like cameras, access control is another foundational ingredient for operations. Many stadiums use multi-factor authentication such as badges and biometrics to control and restrict access. When integrated with video, venue staff have further situational awareness about the circumstances of an access event.
Access control data, along with license plate recognition in parking areas or garages is a convenient tool to manage players, staff and VIPs as well. To help facilitate the VIP experience and streamline operations, automatic notifications can alert staff to a particular person pulling into the garage or coming into the building. Intercoms integrated with video can further streamline the VIP experience and help safety and security in certain parts of the venue.
Audio technology is useful for emergency preparedness and response, allowing security and safety staff to make public announcements regarding inclement weather or unexpected incidents. Audio technology can even be integrated with mobile devices for quick, streamlined communications and response.
The application of body cameras is expected to be useful in stadium settings – particularly in venues that have a law enforcement or public safety presence. Recorded interactions aid in investigations, help with accountability, and can give both customers and responders peace of mind. In fact, the NCS4 2023 Spectator Sports Safety and Security Survey found that approximately 77% of spectators surveyed are comfortable with security staff wearing body cameras. The technology can be integrated with other video surveillance systems as well for more comprehensive investigations and documentation.
While high-performing analytics and security technologies play a significant role in stadium operations and security, to realize the benefits of integration and garner even more value from those technologies, stadium directors should consider open-source technologies. Open-source systems can make it easier to integrate different technologies to streamline operations and facilitate investigations and documentation. They also open the door to easier collaboration and communication among law enforcement, first responders and other stakeholders.
As stadiums continue to navigate an increase in publicly reported incidents of fan violence and endless potential security risks, carefully curated technologies and systems can have a direct impact on these pain points. As safety and security risks in large public venues continue to rapidly shift and budgets continue to be an ever-present hurdle, choosing technologies that yield multi-pronged benefits and higher ROIs will allow the venue to better position themselves against the unknown while providing a positive fan experience.
This article originally appeared in the July / August 2024 issue of Security Today.