New Patriot Center Security Policy

[Scythe]

Just received an email with the new security policy:

The Patriot Center has a new security policy effective immediately for all events. Please read the following information or click here for the official Patriot Center release. This policy will be implemented at the men's basketball home opener vs. American this Friday, November 8th - 7:00 p.m.

Security Policy
The Patriot Center has posted its security policies online for the convenience of all patrons that plan on visiting the arena.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the Patriot Center has instituted a new standard security policy for all events at the arena.

• All guests must consent to a search of their person and/or any items they may wish to bring into the arena.
• All bags, hand bags, briefcases, book bags or items similar in nature will be subject to a search as patrons enter the arena. Each patron attending an event will be allowed one personal item to be carried into the arena.

Items prohibited inside the Patriot Center include:

• Weapons (guns, knives, pepper spray, mace, chains, spiked bracelets, brass knuckles, etc.)
• Outside food or beverages
• Bottles, cans, containers and coolers
• Fireworks
• Non-service animals
• Illegal drugs
• Laser pointers
• Artificial noisemakers of any kind
• Signs
• Flags
• Silly String
• Any size pole or stick (medical aids such as canes/crutches permitted)
• Projectiles, including frisbees, footballs and inflatable balls

Patriot Center Management reserves the right to prohibit any other item which is deemed unsafe or inappropriate.

Prohibited items will not be accepted at the arena for safekeeping. Please leave all prohibited items secured inside your vehicle.

Note: off-duty police officers are required to report to the Police Command Post inside the West entry.

Camera PolicyThe Patriot Center does not allow video cameras in for any event. Still photography is determined based on each event. Some shows do not allow still photography and some do allow it. Typically, we will know the camera policy for a given event no later than the week of that event. Please call (703) 993-3000 in advance of the event to obtain the camera policy for a specific show.


Resale of ticketsThe resale of Patriot Center tickets on the grounds of George Mason University is strictly prohibited and is subject to prosecution by the University Police.


Prohibited itemsBottles, cans, hard containers and alcoholic beverages, along with weapons of any kind are prohibited from being brought into the arena. Patriot Center reserves the right to require patrons to submit to a search as required to enforce this policy.

If you have any questions, please contact the Patriot Center at (703) 993-3000.

Interesting. My favorite banned items: bottles/containers, flags, artificial noise makers, and signs. Looks like I shouldn't bring a diaper bag to a game for the kiddo...

 

[GSII]

No signs. I wonder if they will really enforce this during games.

 

[MasonFanatic]

Hopefully they only mean signs that could be used as a weapon or hurt someone (e.g. signs made of metal or wood or signs that have poles). It would be a huge mistake to ban lightweight posters or paper signs, and I utterly fail to see how those pose a security threat. Then again, this is the Patriot Center we're talking about, so maybe I shouldn't try to apply common sense. I almost got ejected from Mason Madness a few years back for the dastardly crime of standing up to cheer.

 

[mkaufman1]

I worked at the Patriot Center during my time at Mason, and these rules aren't really new. It also merely depends on the event as well. For Disney on Ice, they generally are ok with small bags of cheerios, etc, for kids and I'm sure diaper bags will be fine (they were always searched). The big thing is avoiding the family coming in with the Mcdonalds dinner.

In regards to signs, I'm not sure why they'd ban all signs, but that might pose a problem for games and things in general. I suspect that will be "flexible" too, as long as that sign is in good taste (no signs that say "F vcu").

Honestly, its not much to worry about IMO unless they were ordered to get very strict by some external entity, but even then, I just can't see that. They were always more strict when the crowd attending warranted such.

 

[expendable smurf]

I guess I'll no longer be able to bring coffee to the early Saturday games.

 

[The Great PATSby]

Any size pole or stick (medical aids such as canes/crutches permitted)

Looks like Dr. Nix and Father Peter are gonna get their pimp canes taken away.

 

[Patriotsince81]

So my "cyclops" poster about the officials probably won't get in. Disappointing.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

Damn, so I can't bring in my flask or my gat anymore. So no whiteboards? Will they confiscate my smartphone?

 

[expendable smurf]

Well, they're only finding a flask if they actually frisk people, so probably no worries there Pikapp.

 

[Yossarian]

I used to rely on pre-mixed rum and coke in a plastic coke bottle. Flasks can be messy and obvious. Of course, the scent of rum filling the air each time I twist off the top is pretty obvious to my immediate neighbors, but that's another story. Good thing basketball is a winter sport. Heavy coats have lots of hiding spots. Ah, to be young and stupid again...

 

[EXpatriot13]

Damn, they used to be so lenient that we'd stuff our pockets with cans of Natty Light (you know, that high quality water) before heading into the Pat Dome.