By Todd Conway, CEO, Autoclear
For stadium and arena security teams, every event presents the same challenge: screen thousands of people effectively without creating unnecessary congestion at the gates.
Stricter bag policies have become an important part of the solution. By limiting the size and type of bags entering a venue, security teams can reduce the number of items requiring more detailed inspection and keep high-volume entrances moving.
But fewer bags doesn’t mean no bag screening.
Medical and parenting bags, staff belongings, media equipment and other authorized items still need to enter—and some require a closer look than visual inspection alone can provide.
A Layered Approach to Stadium Bag Screening
Leading sports venues are already combining bag restrictions with X-ray screening.
FedExForum screens permitted clear bags and wallets through X-ray machines. Bridgestone Arena uses different screening processes based on bag size, with larger permitted bags, medical bags and diaper bags undergoing X-ray inspection. Lenovo Center requires parenting and medical bags to pass through an X-ray machine before entry at Carolina Hurricanes hockey games and NC State men’s basketball games, while Tech CU Arena subjects larger permitted bags to X-ray inspection.
The principle is straightforward: reduce unnecessary screening volume, then apply more detailed screening where it is needed.
This approach can help venues:
- Maintain stronger visibility into permitted bags and densely packed belongings
- Reduce the need to manually remove and inspect individual items
- Direct low-risk, small-bag traffic through faster screening processes
- Focus security personnel and technology where more detailed inspection is required
The result is a screening strategy designed around both security and throughput.
Where X-Ray Screening Fits
Depending on a venue’s security plan, X-ray systems can support screening at general or designated entrances, including exception-bag lanes, staff and credentialed entrances, VIP areas, media access points and other locations where authorized belongings enter the facility.
Autoclear offers X-ray inspection systems in multiple tunnel sizes and footprints, allowing venues to configure screening equipment around available space, expected bag sizes and operational requirements.
For additional operator support, Autoclear AI Threat Assist analyzes X-ray images and visually highlights potential threats, including guns and knives, helping operators identify areas that may require closer review.
Better Screening Without Sacrificing Entry Flow
Bag policies and X-ray screening are not competing security strategies. Used together, they allow venues to reduce the volume of bags requiring detailed inspection while strengthening screening of the items that are permitted inside.
For stadiums and arenas managing thousands of guests within short arrival windows, that balance matters.
Looking to strengthen bag screening without creating unnecessary bottlenecks at your venue?
Contact Autoclear to discuss an X-ray screening configuration designed around your entrances, throughput requirements and security operations.
