Protecting Your Zones

In-camera analytics makes the difference between a good call and a missed call.

• By Mark McCormack
• Jul 30, 2025

It is game day. You can feel the crowd’s energy. In the parking lot. At the gate. In the stadium. On the concourse. Fans are eager to party. Food and merchandise vendors ready themselves for the rush.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, a team of security experts are gathering and acting on real-time intelligence to ensure everyone stays safe and enjoys an enjoyable time.

Video cameras have long been a primary tool for monitoring stadium events and gathering critical situational data about crowd activity. And year-by-year manufacturers have been increasing resolution, delivering extraordinary clarity at ever greater distances. In fact, with the latest 40+ megapixel cameras, an operator can zoom in from across the bowl and clearly read details as precise as the section, row and seat number on a fan’s chair.

They can even zoom in on the color-coded credentials people are wearing around their necks to verify they are permitted to be in a specific area of the property.

While capturing this level of specificity is impressive, it is the camera’s embedded analytics that are becoming the real game changers. As security operators become more adept with the technology, analytics can help them translate straightforward observation into rapid, targeted action. For instance, they make it easier to spot troublemakers and clamp down on rowdy fan behavior before it escalates into a chaotic situation. Or they can help quickly locate someone in medical distress and direct emergency responders to the scene.

Built-in analytics can deliver up-to-the-moment insights on what is happening throughout the venue – from the entertainment district adjacent to the stadium to all the nooks and crannies inside the venue. Furthermore, since the analytics are an intrinsic part of the camera, not an add-on expense, there is no economic barrier to their adoption and use.

Let us delve into a few common embedded analytics – how they are being used to protect the venue and improve the fan experience.

Perimeter Security
This is an edge-based intrusion alert system that uses a combination of motion and artificial intelligence (AI) based detection at long distances. It is designed to detect and classify people and vehicles intruding on the property or attempting to enter restricted areas.

The definition of “perimeter” could extend to parking lots, the surrounding entertainment district, even satellite parking for the event. Or it can be applied internally to protect the employee-only areas like locker rooms, executive offices, VIP suites, etc. from unauthorized access.

One stadium has been using analytics to detect late-night attempts to vandalize the bronze statues of their iconic sports figures. Whether it was kids on a lark or angry opposition fans, catching them in the act prevented them from doing costly damage to the sculptures.

Cross Line Detection
This trip-wire application detects and alerts on moving objects – humans and vehicles – that cross a virtual line. It is often used to monitor entrances, loading docks and parking lots after hours.

Stadiums have been using cross line detection to alert security to suspicious nighttime traffic. For instance, the analytics is programmed to notify security when a moving truck drives up to a side entrance on the property at 2 a.m. If the analytics interfaces with the stadium’s intelligent speaker system, the driver and crew can be warned off from their intent to break in and steal anything.

Direction Detection
This analytics monitors the direction that people are walking under the camera. It is useful in several ways. It helps security estimate occupancy levels in real-time, whether on the premises as a whole or in a certain area at a certain time. This is critical information to know in case of an emergency evacuation for a dangerous weather alert or other threat.

Direction detection can also be used to detect someone trying to piggyback on someone else’s entrance – such as at an entrance turnstile or when a badge swipe is used to enter a restricted area. A third use is for wrong-way detection, such as when fans are exiting after a game, and someone turns and walks in the opposite direction trying to re-enter the property.

Object Left Behind
This analytics uses the power of AI to study an area over time, detecting and notifying security of any potential threats from objects abandoned in that location for an extended period. The advantage of using this technology is that it augments security patrols that cannot be everywhere at once.

Object left behind is frequently applied in surveillance of the stadium perimeter, parking lots, and entertainment district. When interfaced with the smart search feature of the video management system, security can discover who left the object and track where they went after abandoning it.

Facial Recognition
This analytics uses AI to analyze facial features and compare them to an existing database of known individuals. In stadium environments, this technology can help security staff identify people who have been flagged for prior incidents and may pose a risk to public safety. It can also be used in more positive ways—for example, helping to locate a lost child in a large crowd, or notifying guest services when a VIP arrives so they can be welcomed with personalized experiences.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the technology helped security teams detect individuals failing to wear masks, as required by public health mandates, before entering the stadium. Today, it continues to support venue safety and security by helping staff recognize individuals on existing exclusion lists. For large-scale events, security can also receive support from law enforcement agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, and international organizations like INTERPOL, who may share images of persons on watch lists to bolster safety efforts.

When deployed with a clear purpose, a well-defined use case, and in compliance with regulations, facial recognition can enhance the overall fan experience and contribute to a safe, welcoming environment. Some stadiums have found that fans are more likely to attend events when they know safety is a visible priority—fostering a more enjoyable and confident experience for everyone.

Aggression Detection
This analytics uses AI to monitor sound patterns associated with duress, anger or fear. When added to visual surveillance, it can detect and alert security to cues that may indicate bullying, such as raised voices, hostile body language, or aggressive facial expressions. Some systems can even recognize movements associated with fights and vandalism, enabling security to intervene faster to prevent violence. 

Aggression detection is impractical within the stadium due to the high ambient noise level of the crowd in the bowl and concourse. Where it is most effectively deployed is outside the venue, particularly pre-game in the parking lots where trash talking the opposition can quickly escalate. Post game, the analytics can alert security to fans spilling onto the streets and acting out their disappointment or celebrating with unacceptable behavior.

Safety Act Certification
Stadiums are often seen as soft targets. Using analytics to maximize security is just one of the many measures stadium operators can take to harden their venues. The National Center for Spectator Sports and Safety (NCS4), a national research center for the U.S. sports industry, offers professional training workshops and certification programs for stadium security staff. Upon request, they can also conduct safety and security assessments to help stadiums improve their security protocols.

Another resource is DHS, which can provide stadiums with patron screening and evacuation simulation tools to help public safety officers and emergency managers select the tools and methods likely to work best in their venue. If a stadium complies with DHS guidelines for strengthening their venue’s security and anti-terrorism readiness, they can apply for security-insurance coverage under the federal SAFETY Act. The SAFETY Act grants either full immunity or a maximum dollar cap on the successful applicant's liability arising from a terrorism event. 

Real-time analysis Leads to Greater Safety and Security
Current events continue to dictate tightening security in and around stadiums. Whether people are coming to enjoy collegiate competitions, professional sports, star-studded concerts, or political rallies, they want to feel safe and protected.

While hardening the venue against disruptors and determined bad actors is a daunting task, tools like in-camera intelligence, coupled with best practices advice from organizations like NCS4 and DHL that understand the kinds of challenges stadiums face, can amplify a security team’s readiness to respond to known and unexpected threats.

What stadium managers also need to realize is that committing resources to improving security operations can have a significant impact on a stadium’s bottom line. While poor security can lead people to forgo the stadium experience, strong security can help change fan behavior for the better and create an atmosphere that encourages people to return repeatedly to enjoy the full fan experience.

This article originally appeared in the July / August 2025 issue of Security Today.