Features

Baltimore stadiums trial new weapon-detecting system

Liberty Defense Holdings is to trial its flagship Hexwave product at the Baltimore complex that hosts the home stadiums of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens and MLB’s Baltimore Orioles.

The system, which identifies concealed weapons and assesses threat, will be beta tested at Camden Yards Sports Complex in early 2022. Oriole Park and the Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium, which are governed by Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA), have a combined capacity of almost 120,000.

Hexwave uses low-power radar imaging and artificial intelligence to detect all types of concealed weapons for walkthrough, high throughput people screening that responds to evolving threats and the need for socially distanced contactless security that keeps lines flowing. It can be used indoor and outdoor as part of a layered defence so that threats can be detected early, at the perimeter of the property or at checkpoints, without compromising the enjoyment of fans.

“One of our key market verticals is sports and entertainment venues, and we are delighted to add Baltimore, home to two premier sports teams at the Camden Yards Sports Complex, to our beta testing program,” said Bill Frain, chief executive of Liberty Defense. “Testing the system in operational facilities helps to ensure that the system is aligned to market needs, and we look forward to generating customer feedback at beta development sites.”

The beta test comes following the initial alpha testing that is taking place at Liberty’s Center of Excellence for Engineering in Atlanta, Georgia, and at the new company headquarters in Massachusetts.

“The safety of our guests is paramount, as well as ensuring they have a great experience” said Vernon J. Conaway, Jr., vice president, safety and security at MSA.

“We believe this type of threat detection technology is the future of keeping fans safe at events. We are extremely confident in our current threat detection systems, and our participation in this collaboration agreement with Hexwave is about testing an emerging threat technology to enhance our existing systems. We look forward to testing this exciting new technology at the Camden Yards Sports Complex.”