National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security - Experts & Thought Leaders

Patriot One Technologies has announced it will exhibit as a Diamond Sponsor at the FANCENTRIC International Conference & Expo 2022, which is taking place at Caesars Palace, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from May 24 to May 26, 2022. The show is being hosted by the Innovation Institute for Fan Experience (IIFX) and will include companies and speakers from across the sports and entertainment industry. Patriot One will be displaying at Booth #107 and will also demo its SmartGateway patron screening technology on the show floor. Patriot One Technologies is Diamond Sponsor Peter Evans, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Patriot One Technologies, will be giving the welcome remarks to kick off the conference, alongside Master of Ceremonies, Gary Gardner. Peter Evans will discuss how, as a provider of next-generation security screening technology, Patriot One Technologies has an especially important role – as it is often the first interaction fans have with an event. Return of physical events Peter Evans stated, “The IIFX is bringing people together, during a time, when we need it most, as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions continue to ease up and fans are getting back together for large sporting and entertainment events.” He adds, “It’s essential that we are giving these fans, who have waited so long to be at these events again, an amazing and memorable experience. That’s what we’ll be discussing at the conference in a couple weeks – how we, in the sports and entertainment industry, can elevate the fan experience, while also improving their safety.” FANCENTRIC International Conference & Expo The three-day event will also touch upon fan engagement and behaviour, new approaches to health and safety The FANCENTRIC Conference & Expo will bring together renowned thought leaders, subject matter experts and vendors with innovative products and technology from all aspects of the sports and entertainment industry, including physical security. The three-day event will also touch upon fan engagement and behaviour, new approaches to health and safety, the post-pandemic workforce, and innovations to the business model. Innovative products and technology on exhibit “All of us at the IIFX will be hosting the inaugural FANCENTRIC Conference & Expo, live and in-person,” said Dr. Lou Marciani, Director and Co-Founder of IIFX and former Director of the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4). He adds, “This will be an unforgettable opportunity to bring together some of the biggest people and companies in sports and entertainment, along with special input from the fans themselves – all in an effort to elevate the experience at these in-person events.”

The US events market is to benefit from the exacting standards of UK crowd safety and security, following the establishment of UK specialist, Crowdguard, in the United States of America (USA). An industry-renowned event safety and security specialist in the United Kingdom (UK), Crowdguard, has garnered an enviable reputation for providing an end-to-end service for event organisers, venues and those responsible for public realm environments. Crowdguard enters US market The company combines detailed threat, vulnerability and risk assessments (TVRA) with tailored solutions and quality assured installation practices. Compliance requirements and industry practice for event security are much stricter in the UK than in the USA, and Crowdguard US aims to bring a safety-focused approach to the US events sector, protecting people and events with robust solutions and improved consistency. ATG Surface Guard Among the market-renowned solutions that Crowdguard US will offer is ATG Surface Guard Among the market-renowned solutions that Crowdguard US will offer is ATG Surface Guard, a popular hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) system and the company’s flagship product. ATG Surface Guard has been tested to the IWA 14 standard and is proven to stop a 5500 lb vehicle, travelling at a speed of 30 mph and a 15870 lb vehicle, travelling at a speed of 20 mph. Supplied in single units, the surface-mounted, modular system can be installed across a single roadway, within as little as 40 minutes, by Crowdguard’s experienced technicians. Crowdguard US headed by event security experts Crowdguard US will be headed by Herb Ubbens and James De Meo, both experts in outdoor event risk assessment and security. Both professionals are US based and understand the US safety and security landscape. Herb Ubbens is Board Certified in Security Management (CPP) and Physical Security (PSP) and is a SAFETY Act DHS Assessor in BPATS (Best Practices for Anti-Terrorism Security), while James De Meo holds professional memberships with both ASIS International and the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security-NCS4. Event protection and HVM solutions Herb Ubbens said, “There are a lot of companies in the US offering event protection and hostile vehicle mitigation solutions, but the process of installing these solutions is much more heavily regulated in the UK. Being able to roll out that best practice in the USA will be a game changer.” With Crowdguard’s record in the UK, we are able to offer end-to-end delivery for US customers" Herb Ubbens adds, “By bringing the expertise and processes established by Crowdguard in the UK, to the US market, we can give event organisers and venue-owners confidence in their supply chain. With Crowdguard’s record in the UK, we are able to offer end-to-end delivery for US customers, with proven HVM products, installation expertise and service protocols.” Approach of due diligence and quality management Crowdguard will take the same approach to due diligence and quality management in the USA, as it does in the UK, focusing on deploying the right solution and installing it to ‘as tested’ standards. The company’s service will centre on understanding risk and threat, advising customers on the most appropriate solution, in order to meet the needs of their event and its attendees, along with quality assured deployment. Enhanced event safety and security measures James De Meo said, “Today's ever evolving threat continuum presents numerous challenges for event organisers. Whether they are enjoying outdoor events, or attending stadiums and venues, people want to feel safe and they should come to expect 21st-century enhanced safety and security measures.” James De Meo adds, “Crowdguard has the proven safety technology and expertise to revolutionise the entire special events ecosystem, and I am excited to be part of the new venture in the US, and the positive change it can achieve.” SIA GovSummit 2022 Deborah will join Herb Ubbens and James De Meo, to attend the SIA GovSummit 2022 Deborah Ainscough, the UK Operations Director at Crowdguard, will also take a hands-on role in developing the US business and working with clients in the USA. Deborah will join Herb Ubbens and James De Meo, to attend the SIA GovSummit 2022, which is taking place in Washington DC, from May 24-25, 2022, a conference that focuses emerging policy trends, the technology needs of the government and changes in the risk environment. Safety and security fundamental to protecting people Deborah Ainscough said, “Safety and security are fundamental to protecting the most important asset for any venue or event - customers. That’s why Crowdguard US will focus on the same principles as our successful UK company, understanding the risks, deploying a suitable solution and installing and maintaining those market-leading products to the highest standards.” Deborah Ainscough adds, “With Herb and James at the helm of Crowdguard US, we have the right experience and in-depth understanding of risk, combined with our experience of UK installation standards, to achieve those goals and I am very excited about what we can deliver in the USA.”

Patriot One Technologies announced the formal release of an Operational Exercise and subsequent report executed by the National Centre for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS⁴), documenting the Company’s observed performance during real-world and simulated environments. The exercises were conducted to demonstrate Patriot One’s performance relative to advertised capabilities and industry and professional sports leagues’ security standards. The exercise incorporated a live stadium environment with 17,000 patrons and controlled observation areas.  Comprehensive multi-step process The exercises were conducted in October and November of 2021 as part of a comprehensive multi-step process to observe and document Patriot One’s Threat Detection and Patron Screening Solution (System Versions 1.1 and 1.4) capabilities relative to professional leagues’ safety standards. The rigorous process was designed to observe Patriot One’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Multi-Sensor Gateway and Platform’s operational feasibility in a stadium environment.  NCS⁴ provides objective and comprehensive reports of vendor solutions using a well-defined process" Provides vendor solutions “NCS⁴ provides objective and comprehensive reports of vendor solutions using a well-defined process. This approach ensures an objective observation, along with providing insights and operational considerations to venue operators,” said Daniel Ward, Director of Training and Exercise at NCS⁴.  Participants, observers, and evaluators of the exercises included representatives from pro-sports leagues, security directors and personnel, and a former member of a U.S. government law enforcement organisation, among others. Meets league requirements for patron screening “The NCS⁴ is a very well-respected organisation with established processes, which is a key reason that we wanted their expertise in exercising the capabilities of our solutions. We want sports leagues and stadiums to feel confident knowing our solution meets the highest standards of weapon detection,” said Peter Evans, CEO of Patriot One. “The NCS⁴ process is designed to verify the claims of a company. We chose to augment this approach by engaging the professional sports leagues and ensuring that the capabilities and claims being demonstrated included inputs from leagues to capture what they expect and require of their patron screening solutions. Our goal in participating in this independent process was to show that Patriot One’s technology meets stringent league requirements for patron screening safety.” Identifying safety and security solutions The exercise process and focus areas for this project were developed in cooperation with the NCS⁴ The NCS⁴ at The University of Southern Mississippi established the Operational Exercise Program to assist practitioners and industry experts in identifying operational use cases for safety and security solutions. The exercise process and focus areas for this project were developed in cooperation with the NCS⁴ National Advisory Board, including representatives from professional sports leagues, select collegiate institutions, major events, and public assembly sites. Thorough weapon detection “In addition to detecting guns and other threats on patrons, we feel that our technology was also able to detect methods frequently used to evade detection and get weapons through walk-through metal detectors and into venues,” Evans added. “We are also making continual adjustments to our technology based on feedback from evaluators to make it even more effective. The advantage of the approach executed by NCS⁴ is that we can take valuable feedback on improvements required and quickly address those, as we demonstrated between the different rounds of exercises.”

Coming off a successful ISC West show, Honeywell is sharply focussed on product development, with an emphasis on advanced software. “We have a strong new product pipeline this year – more than two times the number of products than we’ve released in the past several years,” says Luis Rodriguez, Director of Product Marketing, Honeywell Commercial Security. “At ISC West, we received a lot of interest in how AI and new security systems are changing the market.” Although uses for AI are still emerging in security, Honeywell sees an important role for AI in building a connected system to ensure the safety and security of a building, and more importantly, its occupants. AI allows end users to go beyond monitoring activity on a surface level to really understand the scene – from who exactly is in the area to what they might be doing. As more data is processed over time, AI will continue to build on its learnings to help deliver a more accurate assessment of potential threats each time. Machine learning-based analytics End users should explore the use of machine learning-based analytics as machine learning is more advanced than AI-based systems, says Rodriguez. “When speaking to dealers and integrators, end users should also inquire about the detection accuracy of systems that use AI or machine learning technology, particularly around false positives and negatives.” Honeywell seeks to develop integrated security systems that provide the earliest detection “Additionally, end users should always ask to conduct site testing so to understand how well-suited the machine learning-based system is to the particular user’s native environment,” adds Rodriguez. “The testing will help identify the exact needs of their site.” Honeywell is reinvesting in its video portfolio, both in hardware and software innovation, as well as partnering with the top experts in the IT and education industries to stay ahead of customer demand. Honeywell seeks to develop integrated security systems that provide the earliest detection, enable the fastest response, centralise decision making, and allow customers to manage it all from anywhere. Solutions for vertical markets Honeywell Commercial Security is focussed on supporting vertical markets that have specific security needs such as education, banking and finance, and pharma. Each has unique nuances that call for tailored security approaches. “As Honeywell continues to develop its suite of security solutions for the future and identify personalised systems for each vertical, AI such as analytics, deep learning and facial recognition will play an integral role during research and testing,” says Rodriguez. Honeywell is developing video and audio analytics technology capable of studying crowd behaviour as well as detecting guns, gunshots An example is the education market, where eliminating human delay in reporting potential threats to law enforcement and creating faster systems that help omit single-point failures are key to protecting schools and ensuring students’ safety. To address those challenges, Honeywell is developing video and audio analytics technology capable of studying crowd behaviour as well as detecting guns, gunshots and fights, says Bruce Montgomery, Business Development Manager, Honeywell Commercial Security. Testing technology for sports security The software is able to visualise, automate planning, design and efficiency analysis of a video surveillance system"A partnership with University of Southern Mississippi’s National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) is testing technology such as MaxPro Video, Pro-Watch Access Control and UNP Mass Notification in the National Sport Security Laboratory and in connected real-world environments. “The analytics data gathered from these environments will help inform future security innovations,” says Montgomery. Another Honeywell partnership is with JVSG, whose CCTV Design Software offers a new way to design more affordable and higher quality video surveillance systems. Integrators and distributors are now able to add a range of models from Honeywell’s portfolio of Performance Series IP Cameras into their system design from the software’s database. “The software is able to visualise, automate planning, design and efficiency analysis of a video surveillance system,” says Jeremy Kimber, Director of Enterprise Global Product Management, Honeywell Security and Fire. The program is used by more than 7,000 CCTV designers in more than 130 countries around the world and is downloaded more than 60,000 times every year.

Sports security combines manned guarding with access control devices, HD surveillance cameras & analytics in a command centre for a comprehensive security presence Providing security for sporting events and venues has long focused on personnel. Protection came in the form of guards and other personnel who controlled access to the venue and to restricted areas. With an increasing need to provide higher levels of protection in an age of terrorism, venues have turned to traditional access control equipment. Access control equipment for enhanced protection These days the typical large venue is equipped with cameras, and fans are checked by metal detectors at entrances. “You start off with access control to better protect the stadium,” explains Dr. Lou Marciani, Executive Director of National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at the University of Southern Mississippi. “We’re into magnetometers. We have bollards inside stadiums to protect against vehicle-borne explosives. We’ve got better trained people at gates that know how to use wands or magnetometers.” These tools are combined with enhanced surveillance and integrated systems within a command centre, that are tracking information from sources as diverse as social media and alarms. “We have much-improved pixel capacities and surveillance (cameras) that can tell me if you shaved last night,” he says. “We’re really moving along fast with good solid technology to enhance our capabilities without a doubt.” HD cameras for detailed coverage Technology manufacturers have responded to the needs of sports security with the right kinds of equipment. “High resolution digital cameras and the recording equipment are something that more and more stadiums are relying on,” says Paul Turner, Director of Event Operations & Security for AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. “You have an array of cameras so that the goal is you’re able to provide coverage on every seat on the bowl. You’re digitally recording all the time so that you can zoom into a particular section and rewind the recording and watch what happens.” Facilities are no longer using just the standard pan-tilt-zoom cameras that scan areas and may or may not record a particular incident. “Now technology is out there where everything is being recorded all the time and you can forensically examine what happened very easily and understand what led to that situation,” explains Turner. “Not every stadium has that, of course, but more and more are making room for that kind of technology.”   NCS4 provides information on sports security best practices, as well as rigoroustests and research into the best equipment available to the industry NCS4 providing information for sports security professionals Centres like NCS4 have increasingly become the source for not only best practices, but information on the best equipment available to the industry. “There are hundreds of camera manufacturers out there, and there are hundreds of folks that sell access control stuff,” observes Richard Fenton, Vice President of Corporate Security at Ilitch Holdings Inc., which includes the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and MLB’s Detroit Tigers. “There are all sorts of products, and they all say they’re the best. So [NCS4 has] a very elaborate lab testing protocol so that vendors can bring their products there. They put it through some rigorous testing; develop white papers on it. For someone like me who’s building a new arena, that’s a great advantage.”

On event days, representatives of emergency response & security agenciesare together and running sports venues as a unified group In the world of sports security, alliances are bringing together personnel and agencies that once only talked to each other during an emergency. Consider the recently announced agreement between the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4). This memorandum of understanding (MOU) is designed to foster collaboration in addressing the unique security challenges facing stadiums and other sports venues and how best to use security technologies to up the security ante. SIA and NCS4 stadium security partnership “SIA being the leading trade association for electronic and physical security solution providers gives NCS4 the capability to collaborate on identifying current and new products and services that address the future industry needs,” says NCS4 Director Lou Marciani. NCS4 has developed best practices and training programmes including certifications for sports security professionals. As venues have begun installing cameras and made increasing use of metal detectors to screen fans as they enter the ball park, this new deal will help ensure that security directors are installing the right kinds of equipment for their sport. As part of the agreement, the two organisations plan to develop a series of quarterly webinars, create presentations, speak at each other’s events, promote each other’s activities and programmes, publish articles in each other’s publications, and eventually develop joint vendor-neutral guidelines and best practices for stadium events. This alliance is just the latest step in the sports security’s profession move toward creating even greater collaboration. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a standardised approachfor security personnel & emergency responders at mass gatherings Emergency personnel planning for incident management “I would have to say that [collaboration] has become the operating norm,” says Paul Turner, Director of Event Operations & Security for AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. “Whereas in previous days a venue would have some police and some fire personnel and medical personnel assigned to that venue and they would just be like another resource that would be onsite. Now the intent is for everyone to do integrated planning where you have a group together of police, fire, medical stadium operations even federal agencies that are all part of building your event plan and then you’re doing unified command.” In this new era, on event days, representatives of all these agencies are together and running the venue as a unified group. Gone are the days when a venue operator would call for help after an incident occurred. “We’re operating in a regular mode and if an incident presents itself then we’re commanding that incident,” says Turner. “It’s not like you have to bring a whole bunch of people together to deal with a particular incident because you’ve been running that event.” The development of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) provided security personnel at venues with a standardised approach to incident management. Developed by the Department of Homeland Security, the programme facilitates coordination between all responders including all levels of government with public, private, and nongovernmental organisations. “More and more mass gatherings are being managed under that kind of a structure,” says Turner.