On-site Lockers
TIAA Bank Field scores security for personal belongings
- By Matt Welty
- Apr 09, 2020
Stadium bag policies continue
to be a growing priority at
sports stadiums and arenas
across the U.S., particularly
in regard to personal bag size and the
particular items that are permitted into
facilities during scheduled events. Initially
implemented for the 2013 professional
football season, the NFL launched a new
bag policy intending to provide a safer environment
for the public and to expedite
fan entry.
Since then, the initial policy has
evolved and now limits the size and type
of bags that may be brought into stadiums.
For example, non-transparent bags
are permitted but must not exceed 4.5
inches by 6.5 inches (about the size of an
average hand). Clear, see-through bags
must not exceed 12 inches by 12 inches by
6 inches. While this may seem strict, security
specialists are united in ensuring the
safety of the public with policies that have
now been adopted by all NFL stadiums,
as well as other venues and arenas across
the country.
Challenge on the Field
If not adhering to the NFL’s bag policy,
an entire day-out experience can potentially
be ruined for fans, as individuals and
sometimes entire families are restricted
from entering the stadium. When this
happens, perhaps the only available options
are:
- Bring the restricted item(s) back to the
car, sometimes a great distance away
from the stadium.
- Discard the item(s), which is usually not
logical.
- Lucky enough to be at a stadium that
provides off-site options for restricted
items.
However, in the past, these options
have come with long lines and/or high
storage fees during both pre- and post-game
times, adding to an already long day.
In 2013, when the first policy was enforced, TIAA Bank Field, home to the Jacksonville Jaguars, created an area to
replicate a coat check that included rolling
racks. Game day attendees would have a
place to bring their restricted items – briefcases,
purses or other items – and, in turn,
would receive a numbered ticket to retrieve
their item when they departed the venue.
This was beneficial to attendees using the
service; however, ticketing many items per
game was a labor-intensive process for the
stadium.
“This old school approach wasn’t
working for us. What we really needed was
something automated, self-sufficient and
easily implemented,” said Ryan Prep, director
of facility operations for the Jacksonville
Jaguars.
The Perfect Solution
What started as an empty shipping container
with lockers evolved into a solution
that would solve Prep’s need for a secure
way to store attendees’ belongings.
“We created the LOKnCHARGE lockers
after noticing the frustration from people
who attend events and have no place to
put their items,” said Benoit Briere, CEO
of LOKnCHARGE, a Montreal-based secure
mobile locker solution. “There was a
need for security and convenience, so I was
on the hunt for a secure yet simple solution
to ensure each locker can be locked by
the individual using it.”
After researching solutions, Briere
found Codelocks, a company that specializes
in standalone keyless door locks and access control products. These two companies
teamed up to develop a secure, onsite
alternative for attendees of not only
sporting events, but music concerts and
street festivals to enjoy their event unencumbered
without having to experience
the negative outcome of being turned
away because of carrying restricted items.
In regard to the LOKnCHARGE units,
it was determined – based on future needs
of the end-user – to place the KL1060.
Codelocks’ KL line of products stands for
KitLock, ideal for cabinets and lockers. It
appears the KL1060 is a smart way to generate
time-sensitive codes for a wide range
of lockers.
Codelocks worked with LOKnCHARGE
to develop an online portal where anyone
can book and pay for a locker in advance.
Through Codelocks’ NetCode, a four-digit
code can be obtained by a future user
with a specific start date, time and duration,
resulting in an easy and self-sufficient
solution.
Once the duration expires, the codes no
longer work, creating a more convenient
way to grant access. These generated codes
can be sent by email or standard text messages.
In addition, a Wi-Fi connection is
not required to operate these locks.
“By adding the units, and the partnership
with Codelocks, it has helped avoid
the risk of loss or theft of important personal
items, while providing convenient
online booking for our customers,” Benoit
said. “The solution was presented to Prep
to solve their storage needs.”
The Jacksonville Jaguars currently deploy
two LNC-550 units – aptly called offense
and defense – totaling 1,100 lockers
which are used on game days as well as all
major events at TIAA Bank Field.
“After learning about this solution, we
invited Briere and the Codelocks team to
Jacksonville to discuss implementation
and training,” Prep said.
Game Time
Before the season started, Briere and
Codelocks representatives traveled to
Jacksonville to train the Jaguars guest services
team on how to operate the lockers.
They were also on-hand during the first
three home games to ensure a seamless-transition.
Attendees who needed to secure their
restricted belongings would simply arrive
at the container, access the website (www.
jaxlockers.com) through a mobile phone,
and rent their locker in less than two minutes.
For those who didn’t have access to
a mobile phone or would simply rather
not use their phone, iPads were available
through the stadium support staff for easy
access. Once that was completed, a fourdigit
code was sent via text message and
email to the user and they would instantly
have access to a specific locker.
“We went from an extensive check-in
process with long lines and using 12 or
more employees working long hours, to
only needing five or six employees to complete
the process,” Prep said.
However, one key issue to be resolved
was the randomization of what lockers
were being administered at a given time.
“All of a sudden, locker 39 and 41
would be assigned simultaneously, which
resulted in congestion and lines,” Prep
said.
With this feedback, Codelocks worked
with the backend of the website and rewrote
the code in order to ensure the randomization
of locker assignments that
the Jaguars guest services team needed.
This allowed for free-flowing space for
users to easily put their often-bulky items
into the lockers.
The Final Score
Once the initial growing pains were rectified, the entire process became streamlined.
The solution was used during 12
stadium events throughout the season,
with seven regular season home games,
plus two preseason games.
“I’m thrilled the solution was able to
be successful for the Jacksonville Jaguars
2019-2020 season,” Briere said. “The collaboration
between Codelocks and us resulted
in a solution that can be used for
a variety of events, including our highly
attended NFL football games.”
Prep said that the team is looking forward
to using the solution in the future.
“It ended up being a great partnership
and they took care of all of our needs,
questions and feedback to develop a solution
that worked for us
and, most importantly,
our fans,” Prep said.
This article originally appeared in the April 2020 issue of Security Today.