Three Pillars of Sports Venue Security
Situational Awareness, Identification, Operations
- By Mark McCormack
- Jan 01, 2018
Stadium security has gotten a lot more complicated
than apprehending seat jumpers, defusing confrontations
and ejecting rowdy fans for imbibing one too
many beers. These days, events are all about the total
fan experience — the tailgating parties, the street vendors,
and the additional activities and entertainment outside the gate.
Once inside the venue there are the crowded concourses, the bars and
VIP lounges, and lots more. All this activity happening simultaneously
stretches security resources to the max. It’s one of the main
reasons you’d be hard pressed to find a spectator venue today that
doesn’t deploy network surveillance cameras as a force multiplier.
Video systems provide stadiums three important advantages: situational
awareness, identification and operational insight.
Improving Situational Awareness
Stadiums are like small cities. In addition to the seating bowl, retail
shops, concession stands and restaurants, there are ATMs for patron
convenience, first aid stations for medical emergencies, escalators, elevators,
meeting rooms, parking garages and parking lots. With multiple
entry points, security needs to draw on a full portfolio of network
cameras to advance situational awareness, protect public safety and
resolve problems quickly. By relying on network-based technology,
it also makes it easier to share situational awareness with local, state
and federal law enforcement and first responders as needed.
Outside the venue. Network cameras mounted on the roof not
only give security a comprehensive view of the parking lot and gate
entrances, but also the surrounding thoroughfare. Using a mix of HD and megapixel fixed dome and PTZ cameras
allow security to spot approaching vehicles
and capture critical details that could forestall
liability claims and expedite criminal investigations.
Adding video analytics such as
license plate recognition can provide another
layer of security.
There was an instance where the local
police were trying to locate a suspect that
they thought might have boarded a city bus
in front of the stadium. They reviewed the
stadiums external surveillance footage and
saw which bus the person boarded. From
there they were able to determine where he
went, track him down and bring him in for
questioning.
Inside the venue. Because lighting conditions
vary throughout the venue, stadiums
often opt for wide dynamic range cameras
that can provide exceptional detail both
in bright sunlight and shadow. This is especially
useful in areas like loading docks,
where it’s important to visually verify what’s
being delivered. Another security strategy
is to link network cameras to panic buttons
throughout the stadium enable security to
quickly assess the nature of the emergency
and dispatch the appropriate assistance to
that location. For example, the security office
monitoring the cameras once spotted a
fan having a seizure and quickly dispatched
medical personnel and called 911 for immediate
assistance. It saved the man’s life.
Some stadiums use their cameras in concert
with their security complaint hotline.
If a fan reports a situation is getting out of
hand, camera operators can locate the trouble
spot on their video monitors and push a
video clip to security personnel that identifies
the unruly fan and their exact location.
One stadium that was hosting a major
concert used network thermal cameras to
prevent excited fans from being trampled
in the crowd. Because the cameras detected
heat signatures, the camera could alert security
that a person who had fallen down or a
small child was lost in the commotion.
Adding motion sensor alerts to areas
that typically should have little foot traffic,
simultaneously reviewing incidents from
multiple camera angles while live viewing
those same cameras, and a host of analytics
like gunshot detection and aggression
detection provide stadium security with
smarter, more immediate situational awareness
across the entire venue.
Improving Identification
Most stadiums restrict access to certain areas
of the venue: player entrances, locker rooms,
press boxes, VIP suites, catering kitchens,
etc. Network cameras can play a key role in
deterring unauthorized individuals from going
where they shouldn’t. Many stadiums integrate
their access control systems with surveillance
cameras to visually verify that the
person using the key card or badge matches
with the face in the database. The cameras
also provide a great tool for detecting piggybacking,
people attempting to gain entrance
by going through the checkpoint on the close
tail of an authorized person.
Using video analytics, stadium security
can quickly spot people wearing the wrong
credential badge for the area and send staff
to detain or remove them. Many stadiums
used the sophisticated search algorithms
of their video systems to locate and reunite
missing children with their parents. As camera
operators continuously sweep the area
for any activity outside the norm, search
algorithms also help them spot suspicious
packages and lost objects and trace them
back to whoever left them.
Improving Operations
From an operations standpoint surveillance
cameras provide a rich source of information
to limit stadium liability and improve venue
management. For example, camera footage
can be used to challenge erroneous slip and
fall claims or arbitrate disputes. In the latter
case, there was an altercation in the seats
during a game and one fan insisted that another
be ejected from the premises. The patron
lodging the complaint also asserted that
guest services failed to handle the situation
correctly and demanded that the employee
be fired. When security reviewed the video
of the incident, it told an entirely different
story. When the patron was confronted with
the evidence, the complaint was rescinded
and no one’s job was lost.
Video cameras placed in the kitchen can
help assure that staff follows proper health
and safety protocols when handling and
preparing food. Cameras monitoring merchandise
kiosks and retail shops can help
deter pilfering and unsanctioned giveaways
and provide forensic evidence for prosecution
if necessary.
With hundreds of thousands of dollars
of merchandise and supplies being delivered
to stadiums over the course of a season, there
are plenty of opportunities for deliveries to
come up short. Putting cameras at loading
docks stadiums gives operations managers
a way to confirm deliveries and provide
a visual record for tracking discrepancies.
In one case, forensic video confirmed that
a trucker dropped off the correct inventory
and then when no one was watching (except
for the cameras) reloaded several cases back
onto the truck and resold the merchandise
for personal profit. The stadium was able to
prove liability and recoup the loss from the
trucking company.
Operations managers are using surveillance
cameras to more closely examine and
improve a whole host of operations within
the stadium from gate staffing and training
to custom services for bus groups, timely
alerts about approaching severe weather conditions
and emergency evacuation planning.
Acquiring Up-to-Date Best
Practices Training
Sports venues are what the Department of
Homeland Security identifies as soft targets.
And like many soft targets, stadium security
threats are constantly evolving. This has
spurred the establishment of the National
Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security
(NCS4), a national research center
devoted to the study and practice of stadium
safety and security.
The organization provides the U.S. sports
industry with a wealth of resources and
learning opportunities about the latest advances
in stadium security solutions and the
most current industry best practices. NCS4
conducts thought leadership summits, networking
opportunities, professional certification
programs and evacuation training
exercises. They offer stadiums venue security
and safety assessments and operate a NCS4
National Sports Security Laboratory where
they test, evaluate and validate technology
solutions. The invite stadium personnel to
participate in hands-on workshops.
By facilitating a mutually beneficial connection
among professional sports and event
venues managers, professional associations,
security products manufacturers, first responders
and government agencies, NCS4
creates a solid industry foundation for improving
the safety of spectator venues across
the country.
Teamwork Keeps a Venue
Safe and Secure for All
Like sports, security involves team effort to
achieve success. And like sports, it’s based
on strong fundamentals, analyzing the field
of play and adjusting strategies to meet new
challenges. Stadiums can strengthen their
security plans and procedures through the
three pillars of comprehensive situational
awareness, timely identification and innovative
operations. This is best achieved through
strategic integration of the latest field-proven
smart camera technology with other physical
security systems like access control and video
analytics. Management should also take full
advantage of resources like the NCS4 and
peer conferences to stay abreast of the latest
security best practices to ensure an enjoyable
and safe game day experience
for everyone.
This article originally appeared in the January 2018 issue of Security Today.