It’s not related to the shootings in the Orlando nightclub, but there soon will be a higher level of security screening for fans attending events at EverBank Field.
The city has issued a request for proposals for walk-through magnetometers that will be installed at stadium entrances by the time the NFL season begins.
Jacksonville Jaguars spokesman Dan Edwards said it’s the latest measure in the league’s stadium safety policy. Planning the project began about a year ago, he said.
“Security and safety is the priority,” Edwards said. “The intent is to safeguard the fans, the players, the people who work in the stadium and the building.”
The NFL implemented a stadium security policy after 9/11, said Bill McConnell, general manager of SMG Jacksonville, which manages EverBank Field and the other city sports and entertainment venues.
Over the years, security measures at NFL stadiums have periodically increased.
In 2011, the league began using wand-type magnetometers to screen fans, augmenting pat-downs.
Two years later, the rules changed to require fans to bring personal items into stadiums only in transparent bags.
The latest mandate, McConnell said, is for NFL venues to have walk-through metal detectors.
Based on experience at stadiums already equipped with walk-through scanners, the new equipment should shorten wait times at entrance gates.
“It’s a more efficient means of ingress into a stadium,” said McConnell. “It’s less intrusive than wanding and the lines will move faster.”
The magnetometers will be portable, to allow them to be used at Veterans Memorial Arena.
The equipment will be paid for with capital funds from a portion of the 6-cent tourism tax that is designated solely for sports complex improvements and maintenance, McConnell said.
One of the other city-owned venues made the decision to increase security measures in response to the incident in Orlando.
When the audience arrived for the Happy Together Tour show at the Florida Theatre just 18 hours after the nightclub shootings, they were screened with wands.
“We were being prudent, taking in mind what happened in Orlando. It’s the right thing to do,” said Numa Saisselin, president of the Florida Theatre Performing Arts Center Inc.
Wanding guests as they enter the building isn’t standard procedure at the theater, but has been used a few times in the past few years, at the request of a promoter or performer.
“We want to be as careful and safe as possible. We’ll take it on a case-by-case basis,” Saisselin said.
Unlike the stadium, the theater has only one entrance and it did take a little longer than usual to get the audience into the building. But the crowd didn’t mind the extra attention to safety.
“People understood and they were thankful,” said Saisselin. “We only had two complaints all night. One person said they couldn’t hear and another person said the band didn’t play their favorite song.”
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