A Slam Dunk
Improving patron safety and security at the American Airlines Center requires multi-faceted surveillance technology
- By Mark McCormack
- Feb 01, 2019
Located at the edge of downtown
Dallas, the 12-acre
American Airlines Center is
one of the premier sports and
entertainment venues in the
United States. Its state-of-the-art retractable
seating technology allows management to
quickly adjust stadium capacity from 18,500
for ice hockey games to 19,200 for basketball
games and up to 21,000 for concerts.
In addition to the entertainment bowl, the
center houses dozens of retail shops, concession
stands and restaurants. There are also a
number of ATMs for patron convenience, a
first aid station for medical emergencies. One
hundred and thirty-one VIP suites along
with two large, all-inclusive VIP clubs, five
multi-tier concourses, five multi-capacity
meeting rooms, 10 elevators, 10 escalators, a
2000-car parking garage and several parking
lots are available.
With all this plus four lobbies and multiple
entry points, security at American Airlines
Center is a 24/7 responsibility. Finding
the right camera system for such a diverse
environment presented a challenge.
“Once we decided to replace our failing
analog system, we invited most of the major
camera manufacturers to showcase their
products in the building so we could see how
they perform,” said Mose Boyer, Director of
Operations for the American Airlines Center.
“A number of competitors excelled in
one specific area, but Axis was top of the line
all across the board.”
Cameras for Varying
Light Conditions
With technical support from the local Axis
office, Boyer walked every square inch of
the building multiple times deciding where
to place cameras and which camera models
would best suit the lighting challenges of the
location and provide the best fields of view.
For instance, AXIS Q6044-E PTZ Dome
Network Cameras on all four corners of
the rooftop give security a great view of the
parking lots. AXIS P3364 Network Cameras
with built-in IR illumination keep watch over
the suite levels which are only lit by emergency
lights when not in use.
The 134-degree wide angle view of the
AXIS M3026 and AXIS M3024 Network
Cameras allows Boyer to cover larger areas
with fewer cameras, such as the rotunda
on the concourse. In the atrium areas where
bright ambient light could easily wash out the
image, Boyer chose AXIS P3384-V Network
Camera with advanced wide dynamic range
to ensure that no part of the image is too dark
or too bright.
“We installed the wide dynamic range
camera right behind our front reception
desk and directed it towards the door,” Boyer
said. “The white balance is amazing. Even
the area of the frame where the door opens
is crystal clear so you can see the face of the
person entering the building.”
Recovering Stolen Property
The breadth of strategically placed cameras
has been instrumental in curtailing losses in
the complex. When an employee’s smartphone
went missing from a charging station
at the front of one of the club restaurants,
security was able to review video from the vicinity
and trace the movements of a suspect.
From the clarity of the image, they were
able to determine that the individual was an
outside contractor. Security sent a video clip
of the individual to the employing company
who contacted the person demanding the
phone’s return. It was brought back the next
day and restored to its rightful owner.
“Upgrading our system to Axis cameras
was like leaping from the Stone Age into the
Technology Age,” Boyer said. “The image
clarity and color fidelity are unbelievable. Our
security team is catching incidents they never
could have with our old analog cameras.”
Confronting False Claims
In another instance, there was an altercation
in the seats during a game. One of the parties
insisted that another guest be ejected from the
premises. This patron also complained that
guest services failed to handle the situation
correctly and demanded that the American
Airlines Center 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.
Reaping the Benefits
for Years to Come
While Boyer oversaw the project, it is the
center’s security team that continues to reap
the benefits.
“Every time I see the team, they are smiling,”
Boyer said. “They’re always phoning,
emailing or texting me that the pace at which
they’re catching incidents never could have
happened with the old system.”
According to Boyer, the new system has
been well worth the investment.
“We went into this project thinking we
would do a pretty good job covering what
we wanted to cover,” Boyer said. “But with
the help of the integration partner and Axis,
we’ve knocked it out of the park. The system
is really comprehensive. It does exactly what
we want it to do and we
plan for it to serve us for
many years to come.”
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2019 issue of Security Today.