Police in Las Vegas say they could boycott working Raiders games in protest of new NFL security protocols.
The president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, Steve Grammas, said in a video sent to officers this month and published by TMZ that his union has a “big concern” with the new NFL policies requiring facial authentication for secure areas of stadiums.
“They’re going to take your biometric data—your face, and they’re going to use that however they need to. And they’re going to extend that to their NFL family partners to use your information should they need to,” Grammas said in the video. “That branches into a lot of places that your biometric data could be exposed to, a lot of people that you may not want it to be.”
In the video, Grammas said he’s asked to go back to the old way of doing things: simply giving cops wristbands. “I fear the department is going to acquiesce to the NFL,” and have the officers sign up for the new system, he said. Grammas read aloud what he said was the NFL’s policy that allows for the “collection, use, retention, and disclosure of biometric data by and among members of the NFL family and their credentialing vendors, including Accredit Solutions Inc and Wicket LLC.” Grammas said he didn’t know who those specific vendors were, and he was worried his officers’ data could be obtained by someone anti-cop.
“You want us to work and secure the facility, we’ll do our job. But I don’t need to have my biometric data given up to the NFL just to do so,” Grammas said in the video.
The new technology is expanding from six stadiums to all 32 teams this year and will require facial authentication checked against an existing photo of the registered person to access certain areas like the field, locker room, and press box, according to Sports Business Journal. Accredit Solutions runs the entire credential process, while Wicket is the facial authentication platform, the outlet reported.
“We’ve had productive conversations with the LVPPA and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department about our modernized, secure credentialing system for all working staff,” the NFL said in a statement. “The credentialing system will enhance security at our stadiums, and we look forward to working with all stakeholders to address any questions or concerns raised.” The league said that it would not use the data in any other way.
Grammas told TMZ that officers will still work Raiders games before the face ID requirement kicks in, but he will advise cops to stop if the NFL officially implements the policy. According to Sports Business Journal, the policy was set to begin during the first week of preseason.
TMZ also reported lawyers on both sides are having discussions about the policy, but they haven’t reached a resolution. According to trade publication VenuesNow, the system was tested at Super Bowl LVIII, which was held in Las Vegas in February.
Representatives for the Raiders, and LVPPA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
