This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Leif Smith loves the carefree feeling of sitting down and watching a game. The man is an avid fantasy football player and often tunes into the Red Zone channel on Sundays during football season. But whenever Smith finds himself inside a busy stadium, monitoring cameras or walking through the crowds, he keeps his head on a swivel.

"Once you've worked in this industry long enough, you cannot attend an event without paying attention to all the operations and everything that's going on all the time," said Smith, the director of event services at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy.

For most, sports provide respite, but for those responsible for keeping safe the thousands of fans at sporting events along the Wasatch Front, game day is no time to relax. And whether you're taking in a game at Rio Tinto, Rice-Eccles or Vivint SmartHome Arena, already tight security measures are only getting tighter.

"We're always trying to stay ahead and make sure we're as good as we can be to hopefully avoid problems," said Lance Davenport, director of security for Vivint Arena. "The threat landscape is constantly evolving and changing."

It hasn't quite been a year since terrorist attacks in Paris left more than 130 dead, and a suicide bomber's failed attempt to get inside a stadium during a soccer match had event organizers across the world ramping up security measures.

At Vivint Arena, home of the Utah Jazz, more uniformed police and security guards were immediately put in place following the attack. At Rio Tinto Stadium, home of Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake, plans were being put in place for elevated security.

For this season, MLS officials implemented league-wide safety policies: No longer could fans bring backpacks into the stadium (fans can bring a 14-by-14-by-6 inch bag, which essentially allows for purses and drawstring cinch sacks) and stadiums have been required to add metal detection technology at entry points.

"A lot of that was brought on by what happened in Paris," Smith said. "That kind of raised the eyebrows of the league."

The upgrades came at a cost of more than $200,000 for RSL. And while it has also cost some convenience for the roughly 20,000 fans who fill the stadium on match days, Smith said the changes have been met positively.

"Fans have started to get here earlier to offset the extra time and they've learned to bring less items," Smith said. "… It's been very sad what's happened in Orlando [where a gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 50 others at a nightclub last June] and Paris, but it has made it so fans have understood the need for it. I don't think I've received one complaint. People understand what it takes to be safe."

Those longer waits to get inside the stadium may be coming to the home of the Utes in the near future. The University of Utah spends roughly $42,000 every home football game to pay for the approximately 75 police officers and 180 contracted security guards who help patrol the crowds of 45,000-plus people. But greater safety measures are likely in store.

"There's been some talk" of adding magnetometers, Steve Pyne, the University of Utah's director of event and facility management, said. "I don't see it far off that conferences or the NCAA mandate it."

Next season, Pyne said, the university will likely allow fans to bring only clear bags inside the stadium in hopes of cutting down on the time necessary to perform bag searches at security checkpoints.

"The main thing that has changed over the years is just a general understanding that you can't just say, 'Oh, we're Utah. We're small-town Salt Lake compared to these other markets, and therefore we don't have to worry as much,' " said Smith, who spent several years working events at Rice-Eccles Stadium before leaving to join Real Salt Lake's events team. "… It doesn't matter where you are. [An attack] could absolutely happen anywhere."

Jazz fans have come to expect metal detectors and tight security at home games over the years. Vivint Arena, formerly the Delta Center, had to meet the Olympics' strict safety standards for the 2002 Winter Games and has benefited from the improvements since. The planned $110-million remodel of the arena over the next year will also include security upgrades, too.

"We'll be able to do some things from a physical security standpoint that will limit access to certain areas," Davenport said.

The remodel also will include a complete upgrade of the surveillance system: adding digital, high-definition cameras throughout the arena, including spots that are currently dark now.

"There's always room to improve," Davenport said. "It would be dangerous to get to a point where you think you're doing it as well as it can be done."

Twitter: @aaronfalk —

Security Upgrades

Rio Tinto Stadium • In compliance with a new Major League Soccer policy, Real Salt Lake installed walkthrough metal detectors at security checkpoints and no longer allows backpacks inside the venue.

Vivint SmartHome Arena • A planned $110-million renovation set to be complete by the start of next season will help secure event level activities. The remodel will also include an overhaul of the venue's surveillance system.

Rice-Eccles Stadium • Utah football fans will likely be allowed to bring only clear bags inside the stadium next season and an official says walkthrough metal detectors could soon be in the building's future.