Are You Ready For The Big Game? Security Implications for Today's Sport Venue Leaders

This upcoming Sunday marks a sports venue security leader's shining moment. Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, and the NFL play host to Super Bowl LV featuring 6-time champion Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Bucs vs. Patrick Mahomes and HOF head coach Andy Reid's Kansas City Chiefs. What a matchup!

Due to the ongoing global pandemic, fan attendance will be limited due to Covid-19 restrictions. Anticipated fan attendance will be in the vicinity of 25k thousand fans. Far less than previous years but now is no time to skimp on security measures, especially when the entire world will be watching. With today's ever-evolving, complex threat continuum, the significance of properly safeguarding mega-events cannot be underscored.

With that said, below you will find two comprehensive checklists, the first being "key considerations" followed by "key questions" for today's sports venue security leaders to review for the upcoming event.

Here goes:

Key Considerations: Security, Safety, Cyber & Pandemic Planning for Super Bowl LV: 

1. business continuity, resilience and disaster recovery initiatives. 

2.CPTED-bollards, physical landscaping, concrete barriers, fences.

3.vehicles used as weapons, ramming.

4. errant drones-chemical, radiological, biological agents dispersed.

5.cyberwarfare-phishing, malware, cryptocurrency.

6. active shooter-assailant-black swan event, i.e. Las Vegas Shooting Massacre-mass

casualty incident.

7.effective coordination of efforts between key stakeholders discussing security

planning, procedures, policies, protocols.

8. mass transit hubs in close proximity to the venue.

9. no-fly zone for drones.

10.biometrics, iris scans, virtual queuing during ingress/egress preventing

potential bottlenecks, chokepoints.

11.credentialing, access control, CCTV, command center-brains of the operation.

12. proper credentialing/vetting employees, vendors, volunteers, contractors, athletes, fans.

13. public/private partnerships-J.T.T.F., U.S. Marshals, local law enforcement,

EMS, fire dept, paramedics, venue security, F.B.I., U.S. Secret Service.

14. human trafficking.

15.pandemic planning for Covid-19-infectious disease outbreaks, social distancing,

face coverings, hand washing, limited elevator capacity, clean surfaces,

facilities, operations, guest services, conversion crew, ADA requirements.

16. red teams, computer simulations, tabletop exercises, crises communications.

17.responsible social media monitoring, what's being posted online in real-time.

18.workplace violence scenarios, insider/bad actor threats-early attack indicators

towards violent behaviors.

19. risk mitigation, risk assessment, verbal de-escalation skills training, empathy, dignity and respect, emotional intelligence, effective verbal communications skills.

20.terrorism-international, domestic, extremism, lone wolf, protesting, civil unrest, geopolitical divisiveness, severe, inclement weather conditions.

21.Enterprise Risk Management-ERM.

22. intelligence gathering, threat and behavioral analysis, duty of care, OSHA

safeguards/requirements, CDC recommendations at National, State-local levels.

23.evacuation procedures, shelter in place, Run, Hide, Fight, See Something, Say Something-DHS.

24.incident management tracking, fights, slips, trips and falls.

25.license plate reader technology-LPR utilized in parking lots/exterior

perimeters by assigned law enforcement.

Key Questions For Venue Security Leaders-Super Bowl LV: 

 1. What cyber, pandemic, physical security and business continuity challenges do you see occurring for this mega-event?

2. Where does Covid-19 planning factor into this event?

3. How important is an effective crisis communications policy for this event?

4. What role does the NFL play in safeguarding this mega event? 

5. How important are command center personnel roles and responsibilities for this

event? 

6. Is human trafficking a concern? Errant drones? 

7. What is the current Homeland Security Threat Level for this mega event? 

8. What technologies will the NFL be utilizing to safeguard this space?

9. How many fans will be attending the game? Will this help or hinder the ingress

screening process in light of this pandemic? How about when fans exit the

stadium? Alcohol beverage control programs-ABC, in place?

10. Are there concerns with potential chokepoints and bottlenecks during the

ingress screening stage? On exterior perimeters, entertainment zones/traffic controls?

11. Will the assigned law enforcement agencies utilize license plate reader

technology-LPR?

12. Where do lessons learned, sharing of best practices, threat and behavioral analysis, real-time information sharing factor into pre-event, during and post-event planning procedures?

So, there you have it. Now, let the venue security pros do what they do best. With that said, sit back and enjoy the Big Game! And the half time commercials too!

Sources:

https://www.nfl.com/news/official-attendance-expected-for-super-bowl-lv-25-000-fans-30-000-cutouts

https://www.dhs.gov/see-something-say-something

The writer of this article, James A. DeMeo, M.S. has over three decades of experience in the security industry and is considered a foremost subject matter expert on Event Security. Mr. DeMeo earned his Master of Science degree in sport management from Adelphi University in 2012 and uses his degree and experience as the Founder, President, and CEO of Unified Sports & Entertainment Security Consulting, LLC (USESC), based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

With USESC, Mr. DeMeo's goal is to create value for stadium ownership groups by raising the level of professionalism for event staff while reducing employee turnover. Ensuring that staff can connect with fans on a human level enhances an amazing game day experience while emphasizing the benefits of de-escalation and verbal communication skills to a cohesive security program.

Mr. DeMeo participated as an integral part of a research team, along with other esteemed professors, for a poster project presented at the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) conference in June 2016 entitled "Professional Sport Security and Marketing Interface: A Delphi Study. Assessing the Influence of Sport Security Operations on the Guest experience: Using the Delphi Method to Understand Practitioner Perspectives." This research was later published in The Journal of Sport Safety at the University of Southern Mississippi.

On September 1, 2017, Mr. DeMeo was recognized by Security Magazine's: The Most Influential People in Security 2017. Mr. DeMeo is also the bestselling author of What's Your Plan? A Step by Step Guide to Keep Your Family Safe During Emergency Situations.

Mr. DeMeo currently serves as a remote learning Adjunct Instructor for both Tulane University-SOPA and Mercer University-Stetson-Hatcher School of Business where he teaches both graduate and undergraduate students about risk assessment for today's facilities.