NY Mets Stadium

Thousands of spectators, dynamic crowd behavior, and ever-changing lighting conditions—ensuring security at a modern stadium is no easy task. At Citi Field, home to the New York Mets, traditional surveillance systems had reached their limits. Too often, security personnel lacked the necessary visual detail or missed critical moments altogether. Faced with this challenge, the NY Mets security team, together with their integrator “Alliance Systems Integrators” , turned to a solution that would fundamentally transform their approach: the Panomera® multifocal sensor system from Dallmeier. “We’re no longer limited by what a PTZ camera happened to be looking at. Panomera® gives us confidence and control—even when reviewing past events,” says Joseph Seminara, Vice President of Strategic Security Operations.

Rising demands for technology and security
Citi Field is more than just a ballpark—it is the iconic home of the New York Mets. With a capacity of 41,800, it’s also a dynamic venue that transforms regularly—from Major League Baseball home games to high-energy concerts and public events. Each of these requires a different kind of vigilance, often under varying environmental conditions.
Traditional surveillance technology had reached its limit. The existing video surveillance system at Citi Field relied primarily on PTZ cameras. While functional, they presented two major issues: PTZ cameras could only capture what they were actively pointed at—leaving many areas in shadow, especially during large-scale movement or incidents happening out of frame. Events outside the current field of view often went undocumented. Resolution was insufficient to clearly identify individuals or actions at a distance “When something happened, we often had to rely on assumptions or hope the camera had caught it in time,” recalls Sara Bollock, Senior Director, Building Command Center. “That’s definitely not good enough when it comes to safety.” What the team needed was a solution that would deliver complete, uninterrupted coverage of the seating bowl—with high-resolution detail at a great distance.

Challenge: Monitoring a Sea of People in Real Time
Covering a stadium’s seating area is one of the most complex tasks in video surveillance. Fans are in constant motion. Sightlines are difficult. Light conditions shift rapidly—especially in open-air arenas like Citi Field, where sunlight, shadows, artificial lighting and nighttime conditions alternate throughout events. When over 40,000 people gather in a single stadium for baseball, concerts or special events, keeping an eye on everything that matters is a constant challenge. The security team faced this challenge head-on—and found a game-changing solution in Dallmeier’s Panomera® technology.

The Solution: Panomera® S8 Ultraline
After reviewing several well-known surveillance solutions, the integrator Alliance Systems Integrators recommended Dallmeier’s Panomera® S8 Ultraline. This multifocal sensor system is uniquely designed for large-scale environments like stadiums and airports. A single camera system can now cover around 5,000 seats, enabling live monitoring across multiple split views and effortless retrospective incident investigation. Unlike conventional systems, Panomera® captures the entire scene continuously in high resolution, from the front row to the upper deck. These advanced capabilities were not possible with the previous system. This also opens up new potentials for integrating AI-based assistance systems to enhance operational efficiency and guest safety. The system was deployed as a proof of concept in the seating bowl and will soon be expanded to cover concourse areas. “With Panomera®, we get amazing clarity across the whole seating area. Even in retrospect, we can identify individuals or actions clearly,” says Sara Bollock.
 

“With Panomera®, we get amazing clarity across the whole seating area.”

Sara Bollock, Building Command Center

The Impact: Clarity, Continuity and Confidence
Since installing the Panomera® system, the Mets’ security team has gained a completely new level of insight into crowd behavior and situational awareness. They can rely on uninterrupted, high-resolution video coverage without having to reposition a single camera.

Even when reviewing incidents retrospectively, the team can now clearly identify individuals and actions across vast sections of the stadium. This has dramatically improved the reliability and speed of internal investigations, while also reducing uncertainty and reliance on incomplete footage. Equally important, the Panomera® solution reduced the number of cameras required to achieve comprehensive coverage, minimizing strain on infrastructure and simplifying integration with existing IT and data protection systems. The system’s performance in rapidly changing lighting conditions—especially during concerts and evening games—has exceeded expectations. As a result, both the technical staff and security leadership have significantly more operational confidence when managing large events in the stadium.

Outlook: Expanding the Vision
For the New York Mets, the switch to Dallmeier’s Panomera® marked a fundamental shift in how stadium security is perceived and managed. By combining wide-area visibility with precise detail, they not only improved situational awareness but also enhanced investigative capabilities. At the same time, the system’s seamless, high-resolution coverage also opens the door to new applications beyond security. By combining Panomera® with AI-based analytics, the Mets organization can now explore process optimizations such as crowd flow management and people counting.

In line with the broader security strategy, additional Panomera® systems have already been installed in the stadium’s concession areas, where fans purchase food and beverages. These busy zones pose unique challenges due to high visitor density and constant movement, making seamless, high-resolution coverage essential. By extending this technology into concession areas, the stadium now benefits from a surveillance solution that ensures visitor safety, optimized operations, and future scalability.

“We’ve entered a new era of stadium security,” concludes Joseph Seminara. “Panomera® gives us confidence, clarity and control. That’s exactly what we need when 40,000 fans walk through our gates.”