Stadium perimeter security also mean keeping access under control

Potential security threats keep evolving. It’s a distressing reality that we continually need to adapt to—one that particularly weighs heavily on the minds of stakeholders at major sports venues as they explore security solutions to prevent drone, vehicular and other dangerous assaults.

Strong Countermeasures Fortunately, perimeter security regulations and league standards for strong countermeasures are now in place to help form a primary line of defense. Instrumental among them are access control technologies.

For stadiums and arenas, balancing the fan experience with strengthened security measures presents challenges. How do you maintain an inviting, festive game day atmosphere while strictly adhering to rules and ensuring safety without projecting an invasive, fortress-like setting?

Designing the most effective security technology and procedures into new sports facility construction as well as upgrades to existing ones takes true teamwork. It requires professional team owners, athletic department leaders, venue operators, law enforcement and consultants to invest intensive energy and time to carefully evaluate the unique attributes of a venue and what it will take to protect it.

What’s included in a facility’s perimeter security complement of technology and solutions depends on what the owner, architect, developer and jurisdiction want and require as well as how they want the venue to look and be accessed by the public—a blend of security, convenience and aesthetics.

Perimeter security includes bollards, walls and other barriers for vehicle standoff distancing and preventing hostile vehicle attacks; gate control and screening for fans and visitors; fences to keep out nefarious intruders; credentialed access control to parking and entries for players and staff; and special locks for hatches and doors to limit access to and from rooftops and tunnels.

Unmanned Infrastructure—Less Obvious yet Equally Critical Controlling access to unmanned infrastructure is also key to perimeter security at sports venues. Consider all the street-level cabinets housing Intelligent Traffic Systems (ITS) controls on surrounding roadways or enclosures for digital signage electronics and fiber optics outside the venue as well as nearby electrical substation control cabinets. All are connected to networks and vital to the safety and operations of a stadium or arena. All are unmanned.

This article originally appeared in the July / August 2022 issue of Security Today.

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