At the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, security personnel were once the only means of checking guests and their bags– until now.
New scanners allow attendees to walk through without stopping, able to detect concealed weapons like knives and guns.
Guests who arrived at the Phillips Center for the showing of “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan” Saturday evening had mixed reactions to the new Evolv Express® scanner. While some guests walked through without hesitation, others had concerns.
Laure Young, 74, said she didn’t mind the new technology because it isn’t different from any other concert or performance center she has been to. Rather, she said the Phillips Center’s security has been low compared with the other places.
“I don’t think it’s secure,” Young said. “Metal detectors always go off because of my knee. This is the first time it hasn’t went off.”
Another guest, Annie Altman, 73, also said her hip wasn’t picked up by the sensor.
The Director of Operations at the Phillips Center, Matt Cox, said he has personally tested the machine’s effectiveness with metal objects.
“I can’t tell you what type of composition of metal alerts it. I can tell you that it does alert on objects that are of concern,” Cox, 59, said.
In an email to Cox, Evolv Technology customer success manager Dan Pearson said the reason the metal implants weren’t picked up was because they are made of plastic and metals not typically found in weapons.
“The metallic components are made of metals such as titanium or cobalt-chromium mixtures. These mixtures do not resemble the weapons we are looking to find which is why they do not alert,” Pearson said. “Components made of medical grade metal (generally titanium) have a different shape, size, density, and signature than that of a firearm, explosive, and knife.”
When a guest walks through the Evolv scanner, if there is an item of concern on the guest or in their bag, lights on the scanner will turn from green to red. The item’s location and an image of the item will appear on a tablet monitored by a staff member.
If necessary, the guest’s bag will be checked, or a wand scanner will be used to confirm where the item is on the person. If the item isn’t an item of concern, then the guests can enter the building. If it is an item of concern, the guest will be asked not to bring the item inside or onsite police will handle the situation.
Brian Jose, 61, Director of University of Florida Performing Arts at the Phillips Center, said this increase in technology is the Center’s way of making sure their security measures are current.
“I think as times continue to change; we need to continue to change. If we're going to make sure people feel safe and are safe, we have to stay up with the technology,” Jose said.
“I don’t think that it raises people’s blood pressure,” Jose said. “Having something like Evolv where you walk right through, and you can be into the moment immediately was vital to me.”
Jose also said it’s important for the Phillips Center to continue to find ways to strengthen its security because, he said, “performing arts is not immune from potential problems.”
On Feb. 17, the Phillips Center hosted the Florida Invitational Step Show when a University of Florida student, Jacob Park, entered with a concealed kitchen knife and threatened to harm a specific audience member. He was then arrested, according to a University of Florida Police report.
Despite not having the new technology in use at that time, Jose said the venue’s security measures were still enough to stop a possible event from happening.
Both Jose and Cox said the new technology is not a result of what happened at the Florida Invitational Step Show, as they have been looking into different technologies for about a year.
While the Evolv technology was something new for attendees to experience at the Phillips Center, guests like Annie Altman said stronger security measures are necessary for today’s age where guns and weapons are everywhere.
“We don’t have a choice, we need something like that,” Altman said.