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Security Technology Executive
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Grand Gaming Security
Security directors Amondo Sebastian and Russ Adams are working with multiple technologies to secure the new MGM Grand at Foxwoods CasinoThe Latest from SIW
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Today’s complex casino operations require technology that can keep pace with the constantly evolving security landscape. So when the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation decided to expand the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., they benchmarked the best in the industry, designed a future proof solution with patron safety at its core and enlisted Red Hawk, part of UTC Fire and Security, to ensure a seamless integration.
Slated to open this spring, the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Casino is a new $700 million development project that adds nearly two million square feet of space and features, including significantly increased hotel, entertainment, restaurants and gaming venues as well as enhanced corporate retreat, meeting and convention resources.
While gaming security and asset management were, of course, integral to the renovation’s goals and overall operations, the safety of patrons is what came first and foremost. Some 40,000 to 70,000 guests visit Foxwoods each day and as many as 100,000 on weekends. “Every day a small city of people comes through our doors and our utmost priority is to make them feel safe,” says Richard E. Sebastian, Tribal Council Member and former director of security at Foxwoods. “Safety is our first priority and deeply embedded in the culture here. For us, security goes beyond technology — it’s about providing good customer service and a safe work environment for our employees.”
The job of ensuring that Foxwoods remains among one of the safest casinos in the world is entrusted to Foxwoods Resort Casino executive director of security Amondo Sebastian and director of security Russ Adams, who have been with Foxwoods since the casino opened in 1992. They have had a close working relationship with the local Red Hawk (formerly ACP Engineering), since the 1994 installation of an access control system, followed by a systems expansion project six months later. In 1999, the security firm helped the casino install digital video recorders, and since then, Red Hawk has worked closely with Foxwoods on an ongoing series of projects and upgrades.
Setting the Standard
In an effort to design the new system as part of the expansion, the Foxwoods security team, led by Sebastian and Adams, acted as their own consultants initially and benchmarked the best in the industry, meeting with the Secret Service and the Capitol Police in Washington, D.C., to better understand how those entities deal with crisis situations within their own organizations.
“Russ and I worked for more than four years on the systems design,” Sebastian says. “Hundreds of hours were spent looking at the hotel section-by–section, and we held more than 30 or 40 meetings across the country with different suppliers, end-users and other security entities.”
Adams says it was important to remember the casino security department’s experiences and use them as a guide to designing a system that could handle future demands. “Throughout the design we kept asking ourselves what have we seen in the past and how can we use that knowledge to meet the security needs of this new area,” Adams says. “It took a lot of time to arrive at the final design, and we were very careful in our evaluations to ensure that the system remains at the forefront of what’s happening in the industry. Once the plan was finalized, we turned to Red Hawk’s integration team.”
