The 2024 season is quickly approaching, and the Las Vegas Raiders will be looking to bounce back after a tough 2023 season where they missed the playoffs.
The Raiders finished with a 5-4 record in the second half of the regular season under then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce, but with him at the helm in an official capacity, the team is set up to succeed out of the gate. Their first preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings may have ended in a narrow loss, but Las Vegas looked competent on both sides of the field.
With a better roster and solid coaching, the Raiders seem poised to have Allegiant Stadium rocking this year, although the fan base does have a reputation for being rowdy. As such, the arena and surrounding areas should have ample security and police presence available.
However, it appears that the NFL’s new security policy requiring police personnel to submit personal information of themselves –including a photo– is not being taken well via Steve Gardner of USA Today:
“A new security policy the NFL is implementing leaguewide in 2024 is facing some pushback from a police union in Las Vegas that could potentially lead to many of them refusing to work Raiders games.
The league is expanding this new policy to all 32 teams, and personnel will require clearance from facial authentication software:
“The NFL this year is expanding a new credentialing system from six teams to all 32, Sports Business Journal reports. As part of the new procedures, facial authentication software will be used to grant access to high-security areas, such as the playing field, locker rooms and press box.”
The pushback seems to stem from concerns about personal data being in other people’s hands, as well as the idea that the public could use this information to harm or harass police officers at the venue.
The rebuttal from the police is to issue wristbands to identify officers, which was the previous process. As of now, it seems as if the league will press on with its new facial recognition policy, so it’ll be interesting to see if the two sides can come to some agreement.
Raiders franchise valuation revealed
Despite not having won many postseason games over the decades, the Raiders remain one of the most popular franchises in the league. In a recent report, it appears that Las Vegas remains one of the most valuable NFL franchises, as they are worth about $6.7 billion.
