Venue security: inspecting vehicles, docks and tight spaces before events

How venue security teams inspect vehicles, loading docks and tight spaces before events, using pole cameras viewed from a standing position.

A venue does not run one big event a year. It runs a season. Game days, concerts, family shows and private bookings stack up week after week, and each one starts with the same work: vendor trucks at the dock, staff and talent vehicles at the gate, and a building full of spaces that nobody can see into without kneeling, crawling or reaching in blind.

This post is for security directors, managers and security service providers who run that routine. It looks at how a pole camera fits the daily inspection work at stadiums, arenas and event venues, and what to ask of a system you will use dozens of times a season, not once.

The inspection load on a normal event day

Before doors open, a venue security team typically checks three kinds of space:

• Vehicles. Delivery trucks, catering vans, production and broadcast vehicles, staff cars and talent transport arriving at service gates.
• Loading docks and service entrances. Trailers, pallets, cargo areas and the spaces around them.
• Hard to reach spaces. Areas under and behind fixed structures, voids, vents and corners that sit below eye level or above arm's reach.

None of this is new to your team. What changes from a one time event to a full season is volume and repetition. The same gate sees the same kinds of vehicles week after week, often with different drivers, different officers on post and a different shift lead. The method has to hold up from shift to shift.

Viewing undercarriages from a standing position

Under vehicle inspection has traditionally meant mirrors, flashlights or an officer on the ground. A pole camera changes the posture of the job. Zistos systems let security officers view under and around vehicles from a standing position, with live video on a wireless display shared with the officer at the gate.

Within ZistosAPEX, the APEX All Surface Vehicle Kit is built for this work:

• A 9 ft telescoping pole with an adjustable friction hinge camera.
• A wide angle, low light 1080P camera with a 134 degree horizontal field of view and white light illumination.
• A total height with camera of 3.5 in (8.9 cm), which fits under low profile vehicles.
• Two sleds as standard: a stainless steel wire frame sled that slides on pavement, and a bowl shaped sled for soil, sand, snow and ice.
• Encrypted WiFi to a 7 in rugged tablet, with a range of 100 ft or more line of sight depending on tablet performance. The tablet mounts on the pole or on a neck mount.

The friction on the hinge is typically kept loose for inspections under the vehicle and tight for inspections above and within the vehicle. That means the same pole moves from the undercarriage to wheel wells, trunks and cargo areas without changing tools.

Loading docks and cargo areas

The dock is where much of a venue's daily traffic arrives: food and beverage, merchandise, production gear and facility supplies. The wire frame sled on the APEX vehicle pole fits between the slats of a wooden pallet in truck cargo compartments, so officers can view the space under loads and along the floor of a trailer from outside it.

ZistosSPRINT is a portable search kit for gates, loading docks, venue entry points and mobile security teams. The SPRINT Vehicle Scout Kit covers under vehicle and cargo inspection, which suits temporary entry points and posts that move from event to event.

Hard to reach spaces inside the venue

Inspections are not limited to vehicles. Before events, teams also check rooms and hidden spaces around entry points and back of house areas. The SPRINT Sentinel Scan Kit is a portable HD pole camera for checking rooms, vehicles and hidden spaces before events and at entry points. For tighter access, the ZistosSCOPES StealthSCOPE covert IR videoscope uses a low visibility probe for discreet checks of wall voids, vents and concealed spaces.

The common thread is distance. Zistos systems keep visual control from a distance.

Built for repeat events, not one season opener

A system that comes out for home games has different requirements from one that comes out once. A few points matter in daily use:

• Setup with no infrastructure. SPRINT sets up at a venue checkpoint without infrastructure, which helps when entry points change between a game day layout and a concert layout.
• Surfaces and weather. The APEX vehicle kit camera is rated IP66, and the two sleds cover blacktop, concrete, sand, snow and ice.
• Modular parts. The All Surface Vehicle Kit is compatible with other APEX products, so cameras and poles can be added as the program grows.
• Transport. The APEX vehicle kit ships in a hard carry case measuring 57.7 in x 12.7 in x 6.7 in (148 x 32 x 17 cm).

Consistent inspections across shifts

Repeat events bring rotating staff. The officer on the dock this Saturday may not be the one who was there last week. Recording helps keep the method consistent. The tablet in the APEX vehicle kit includes a removable 32GB microSD card.

ZistosCONNECT is available with APEX on request.

Choosing between APEX and SPRINT for a venue

APEX and SPRINT work across different phases of the same search, and a venue can use both:

• APEX is the modular platform for extended technical search, with motorized articulation, HD imaging and recording. It suits permanent gates, docks and longer inspections.
• SPRINT is portable and can be fielded in greater numbers. It suits temporary entry points, events and mobile security teams.

A useful way to size a program is to map your entry points, the vehicle mix at each one and the team on post, then match each post to a configuration. You can read more about vehicle and cargo inspection for private and commercial sites and vehicle and visitor access screening.

Frequently asked questions

How do venue security teams inspect under vehicles without getting on the ground?

They use a pole camera such as the APEX All Surface Vehicle Kit. The officer stands beside the vehicle and slides a sled mounted camera underneath, viewing live HD video on a wireless tablet. The camera's total height is 3.5 in, so it fits under low profile vehicles.

Can the same system inspect loading docks and cargo?

Yes. The APEX vehicle pole adjusts for inspections under, above and within a vehicle, and its wire frame sled fits between the slats of wooden pallets in truck cargo compartments. The SPRINT Vehicle Scout Kit also covers under vehicle and cargo inspection at loading docks and venue entry points.

Where does SPRINT work on event day?

At gates, loading docks and venue entry points, as a portable kit carried from the vehicle.

Can inspections be recorded for venue records?

Yes. The tablet in the APEX vehicle kit includes a removable 32GB microSD card.

Plan your venue inspection program

Tell us about your gates, docks, vehicle volume and team, and a Zistos specialist will recommend a configuration for your season.