Security Strengthened for College Football Championship Game

Security Strengthened for College Football Championship Game

Tonight Alabama and Clemson will fight it out for the second-ever College Football Playoff Championship title at the University of Phoenix Stadium in suburban Glendale. The city of Phoenix is dead set on making sure that the teams on the field are the only ones creating a stir.

This year, Phoenix will deploy more security for the college football championship than for last year’s Super Bowl, as federal authorities warn about the risk of terrorist attacks at crowded public events. The title game follows attacks around the county, including in San Bernardino and Paris. These events have left the United States Department of Homeland Security to warn about the possibility of homegrown extremists targeting big events.

“We’ve seen so many things recently; Paris, for example,” said Shelly Jamison, a Phoenix Fire Department spokeswoman. “We are going to have a lot of bodies out there looking for that kind of thing. We are being very proactive.”

Phoenix officials plan to use much of the same security framework from the Super Bowl, which was held in Arizona last year. Federal officials say they will play a smaller role, leaving the city to coordinate the operation. Police predict that thousands of security personnel at the college game will outnumber thost at the N.F.L. game, but refuse to offer specifics.

The college game’s security effort involves more than 100 entities, including law enforcement, fire officials and the National Guard. A multiagency coordination center is set up in Phoenix, where authorities will monitor a wall of flat-screen TVs capable of streaming more than 2,500 camera feeds from businesses around the metro area. The Super Bowl used the same approach.

Officials will review local transportation, social media and even air quality to ensure public safety.

Security personnel will be stationed at the game, the Fan Central event downtown and an outdoor music site that will feature concerts leading up to the championship game.

Featured

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

  • Report: Cyber Attackers Continue to Turn to AI-Based Tools to Avoid Detection

    Comcast Business recently released its 2025 Cybersecurity Threat Report, a comprehensive analysis of 34.6 billion cybersecurity events detected between June 1,2024 and May 31, 2025. Now in its third year, the report offers business leaders a unique perspective into the evolving threat landscape and provides actionable insights to help organizations strengthen their defenses and align cybersecurity with business risk. Read Now

  • Axis Communications Creates AI-powered Video Surveillance Orchestra

    What if cameras could not only see the world, but interpret it—and respond like orchestra musicians reading sheet music: instantly, precisely, and in perfect harmony? That’s what global network technology leader Axis Communications set to find out. Read Now

  • Just as Expected

    GSX produced a wonderful tradeshow earlier this week. Monday was surprisingly strong in the morning, and the afternoon wasn’t bad at all. That’s Monday’s results and asking attendees to travel on Sunday. Just a quick hint, no one wants to give up their weekend to travel and set up an exhibit booth. I’m just saying. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • NOLA: The Crescent City

    Twenty years later we finds ourselves in New Orleans. Twenty years ago the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced exhibitors and attendees to look elsewhere for tradeshow floor space. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX

New Products

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.