For attendees at big events, a walk into the Alerus Center could soon have a new stop.
Arena officials have put out a call for bids on 25 walk-through metal detectors, a security item that Lance Johnson, marketing manager for the center, said will help “remove any hurdles” for event promoters that might have reservations about the location’s security. He estimated the metal detectors will be put in place this summer.
“The trend in the industry is moving toward higher security standards,” Johnson said. “Some promoters have higher standards than others, but over the past six months, we’ve seen everybody ask for higher security, whether it’s wanding or metal detectors.”
That trend dates back to the November terrorist attacks in Paris, where more than 100 people were killed in multiple parts of the city -- most were killed at a concert hall.
After the attacks, event promoters have been more apt to ask for higher security, Johnson said.
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That dynamic was readily apparent at the January Jason Aldean concert held at the Alerus, where security measures like metal-detecting wands led to long lines and unhappy guests. Shortly after the concert, Alerus Assistant Director Bob LeBarron suggested that tightened security is the new norm.
“Everything changed with 9/11 going through airports,” LeBarron said at the time . “With Paris and other places, this is kind of the new norm.”
The metal detectors should be faster than wanding procedures, Alerus officials noted in January. Johnson added this week that guests will likely become used to the added security, extending LeBarron’s earlier comparison to airport security.
“Even at airports, you (didn’t) go through the security measures you do now,” Johnson said. “It stinks the first time, but over time it becomes accepted and becomes the norm.”
Johnson added that he wasn’t immediately aware of any other security purchases that would directly affect guests at the Alerus, though he said that doesn’t rule them out.
“The one constant is that (we’re) constantly updating, retraining and finding out what the current needs are, and adapting,” he said.
Johnson added metal detectors will be used on an event-by-event basis. Since the Alerus doesn’t require renters to use them, It’s unlikely to see them at a car show, he said, but more at a concert.
When it comes to UND football games, Johnson said the future is still unclear, adding those discussions have not happened yet.
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UND Athletic Director Brian Faison stressed such a conversation is still a long ways off.
“We need to understand the process they need to put in place and how they want to (implement) that,” he said. “We’re way out in front of this thing. I’m sure we’ll be visiting it.”
