The University of Southern Mississippi’s National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) had opened its Sport Security Research, Training and Operations Center at the National Sport Security Laboratory (NSSL) for addressing sport safety and security risks and threats.
The NSSL’s Sport Security Research, Training, and Operations Center now connects to the sport facilities on The University of Southern Mississippi’s Hattiesburg campus including M.M. Roberts Football Stadium, Reed Green Coliseum, Peter Taylor Park baseball stadium, as well as remotely connected venues. This connectivity provides researchers and solution providers the opportunity to immerse themselves in a real-life sports safety and security environment.
"This cutting-edge facility gives the University a world-class research, training and operation center," said Dr. Gordon Cannon, The University of Southern Mississippi’s Vice President for Research. “A relatively new profession such as sports safety and security demands research and scholarship. Now our faculty and students have access to a world-wide sandbox to study real-world, sport-security challenges and issues.”
Daniel Ward, director of the National Laboratory and Training Center, describes further capabilities of the new Sport Security Research, Training, and Operations Center. “The center incorporates cutting-edge technology which provides the university with capabilities to gather, process, analyze, display and disseminate planning and operations data for research and training.” He continues, “As a living laboratory, it also provides students, academia, industry, and government a place to research and learn.”
The addition of the Sport Security Research, Training, and Operations Center gives NCS4 the ability to achieve its mission to conduct innovative research, provide training, enhance professional development, and assess security solutions. "We have an opportunity to groom our sport security thought leaders of tomorrow," said Dr. Lou Marciani, NCS4 Director. “Connecting our athletic facilities as part of our laboratory provides amazing opportunities for our students. They will be able to work with professional, intercollegiate, interscholastic and marathon sports organizations and facilities to test theories, translate lessons learned and best practices into real-world solutions, and build the sports safety and security profession for the future.”
The technology in the operation center was provided by support from charter donors including Allegion, AVI-SPL, Dell EMC, Harman, Honeywell, Microsoft, NEC Display, and Red Hawk.
