From Parking Lot to Kickoff: A Mobile Security Unit’s Role in Game Day Operations

Loyalty. Legacy. Tradition.

College sports have a unique place in the hearts of many, stirring up everything from nostalgia to school pride.

Few things are as rousing—or as disappointing—as watching your team win or lose. The victories and losses of the team we as fans identify with can literally cause our self-esteem to rise or fall.

College sports offer a sense of belonging and a way to escape the rigors of everyday life, even just a game at a time. For most, the escapism of game day includes wanting to forget about safety worries. 

Unfortunately, between the passion, the alcohol, and the crowds, violence tends to rise on and around college campuses during home sporting events. It doesn’t help that game day usually comes with hours of pre-game partying and thousands of vehicles and pedestrians—creating a complex challenge for campus safety and security teams.

Much like the game experience they strive to protect, game day security is a team effort, and mobile security units are fast becoming one of the star players of total site security

Deployed strategically, mobile security units help to maintain order, protect people and property, and enhance overall campus safety and security.

What Mobile Security Units Bring to the Team on Game Day

Mobile security units, which are essentially small trailers equipped with solar panels and mounted cameras, are a flexible, dynamic addition to any security lineup. Their real-time monitoring capabilities, combined with AI-enhanced features, enable these units to make a noticeable difference on several campus safety and security fronts.

Deterrence

People behave differently depending on the situation and atmosphere they’re in. Game day naturally brings its own energy, but visible security provides a steady, safe undercurrent, encouraging people to be on their best behavior. 

When equipped with flashing lights and law enforcement coloring, there’s really no second-guessing the purpose of the trailers with the towering camera mounts: They’re there to deter unwanted behaviors and catch criminals as soon as the trouble starts.

Mobile security units stand as a clear sign that your campus is taking a proactive approach to security.

Faster Response Times

While it’s easy to compare and contrast mobile security units with human security personnel, the best defense on game day involves all the players working together. 

Without the right security technology, problems and crimes easily slip through the cracks. While the physical presence of security personnel can be a powerful deterrent and de-escalator, guards by themselves would be ineffective at securing such a large, multi-faceted situation for several reasons:

• It’s harder to find out about the problems in the first place when it’s a small team of people trying to track hundreds or thousands.
• The problem could be over (for better or worse) by the time a guard actually made it there—with no evidence to show for it.
• The time and effort involved to investigate issues may not have been worth it.

By using surveillance cameras, security teams can easily solve these problems, and mobile units allow those cameras to be placed throughout campus as needed. Real-time monitoring enhanced with advanced features can make all the difference:

• Security cameras allow guards to view the scene instantly to determine what is going on, vetting potential threats. 
• With the first round of verification done, the team can effectively deploy personnel when the situation merits intervention.
• Agentic AI can help spot issues, improving response times even more (something that will continue to advance with time).

Enhanced Situational Awareness

Cameras offer a wide field of view, a high vantage point, and multiple angles. The situational awareness provided by seamlessly switching from camera to camera can be a game-changer, especially in larger crowds and spacious areas such as massive parking lots.

Operators can stay in contact with the boots on the ground, coordinating efforts and warning of potential incidents. This enhanced situational awareness increases both safety and effectiveness.

Flexibility and Scalability

Since the student population doesn’t congregate at stadiums and fields on a daily basis, major sporting events have significantly different needs than average days on campus. 

Mobile security units are both flexible and scalable: Units can be easily repositioned to suit the specific needs of each event, and additional units seamlessly connect to the video management system. (The LVT Platform, for instance, can manage a couple of LVT® Units or dozens—all with the same level of accessibility and ease.)

Advanced Analytics and Accessible Evidence

Thanks to advanced analytics and AI-enhanced features, tasks that would have taken hours or days—or may not have even been possible at all—can now be completed within minutes. AI-enhanced search features, for example, make it incredibly easy to find relevant footage of “the guy with a red hat” or “a white truck,” pulling all relevant footage for review at the drop of a hat.

While it will never replace the need for human oversight and intervention, AI can analyze the big picture in ways people literally can’t because it can process so much data in such little time. 

Meanwhile, cloud storage makes it incredibly simple to access relevant footage and share it with law enforcement or insurance companies in the case of an incident. The Philadelphia Phillies, for example, used footage from one of their LVT Units as evidence of a hit-and-run fender bender. They supplied the relevant footage to the victim’s insurance company.

Game Day Strategy with Mobile Security Units

Ask any sports fan and they’ll tell you: Strategy is an essential component when it comes to winning. The same is true in security. 

Strategic placement and use of mobile security units can make all the difference from the first BBQ to the last whistle. 

Pre-Game Prep

The weeks leading up to the big day should be focused on risk assessment and planning. This involves mapping key zones, reviewing data from past events, and planning unit placement. All units should be in place before the big day.

Monitoring Tailgating and Pre-Game Festivities

While tailgating is a fun tradition, it can easily lead to accidents and unruly behavior, especially when high spirits are involved (pun intended). Mobile units allow security teams to catch escalating situations, identify unsafe vehicles and pedestrians, and spot any other suspicious behaviors. 

Protecting Campus Grounds and Parking Areas

Campus safety and security doesn’t end with kickoff. While most fans are focused on the action inside of the stadium, the campus grounds and parking areas still require oversight. Continuous monitoring provides a safe environment for late arrivals and those simply trying to navigate the sports craze on their way to other campus buildings. 

Managing Post-Game Departures 

When the final whistle blows, thousands of fans head for their vehicles at once. Mobile units can provide real-time views of traffic clogs, loudspeakers for directional guidance, and lighting to assist with nighttime visibility. In addition, operators can direct security personnel to incidents, address fender benders, and redirect traffic.

‍Interested in trying an LVT Unit at your next campus game day? Contact LVT for a demonstration today.