Security at St. Louis

[FrankJ]

Originally Posted by Trying to Help

Are there prohibited items? Leatherman tools? Pocket knives of a certain size?

Mostly food. You will need to keep your leg of mutton outside the grounds.

[FrankJ]

Originally Posted by IndySam

Also the security in the parking areas last year was a non-existent joke. I wrote to FIRST complaining it. Lets hope they do a better job this year.

+1 for this. They even warned not to leave your trailer overnight in the provided trailer parking. It would be better to collect a parking fee to provide some security.

[krtanjek]

Hoping security in the parking area for trailers and buses is better than last year. Last year our RV was broken into and lost ~$7k worth of equipment in the designated parking area where "security" had been. We thought about adding an electric shock floor this year. :-)

Hope everyone has a safe trip to St. Louis and look forward to having fun.

[b1nary]

as long as you carry your important devices with you or leave them with someone who will watch them, you should be fine. and also make sure someone is always in your pit. if something is stolen, there should be security footage that could be reviewed. i asked the security staff to do that at UIC pavillion at the midwest regional.

[hrench]

Originally Posted by krtanjek

We thought about adding an electric shock floor this year. :-)

This makes me wonder if there would be any way for police or security to build a 'mouse trap'.

May be a market for such a trailer as a product.

[Munchskull]

Originally Posted by Trying to Help

Are there prohibited items? Leatherman tools? Pocket knives of a certain size?

I have carried my Leatherman Wingman in plain sight at multiple events this year (there of the four were actually schools) without anyone saying a word. It seems that they are seen as tools and therefore allowed.

[Ryan Dognaux]

I'll just echo what everyone else has said. Don't leave expensive stuff in your cars or trailers. Actually lock your doors. Don't leave items laying around in plain view. Keep them with you or in your hotel room if it's not necessary at the venue. Common sense right?

I've never had a problem feeling unsafe downtown, even around the dome area. But again, use common sense and travel with at least a few people especially after dark.

Hopefully the garages will step up their security game this year, sounds like it was pretty awful last year.

[pfreivald]

Originally Posted by Ryan Dognaux

I've never had a problem feeling unsafe downtown, even around the dome area. But again, use common sense and travel with at least a few people especially after dark.

And don't cross the bridge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_S...Illinois#Crime

[Ryan Dognaux]

Originally Posted by pfreivald

And don't cross the bridge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_S...Illinois#Crime

Yeah... I definitely wouldn't take a midnight stroll through East St. Louis. Accidentally drove over there once and just turned around though, still alive.

[pfreivald]

I did research on a novel for places to not go, and for police corruption. East St. Louis topped the list on both.

[Anthony Galea]

Originally Posted by techtiger1

Wait till the championship event in Detroit

[jnicho15]

Originally Posted by pfreivald

And don't cross the bridge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_S...Illinois#Crime

How bad is O'Fallon IL? Our team's hotel is there

[Ryan Dognaux]

Originally Posted by jnicho15

How bad is O'Fallon IL? Our team's hotel is there

O'Fallon, Illinois (not to be confused with O'Fallon, Missouri) is completely fine, just ask 1208 the Metool Brigade

They also put together a great PDF containing a lot of information for food, hotels, etc. check it out - http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...2&postcount=25

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by hrench

This makes me wonder if there would be any way for police or security to build a 'mouse trap'.

May be a market for such a trailer as a product.

You know, as smart as all of us are one would think we could create a solution with a cRIO, LOTS of LED's, a bunch of barely-functional web cams, an on-demand cell connection, plenty of 12V batteries from a couple of years ago and perhaps some servos or motors to make things move.

It could literally serve as a beacon for "security", or the police, to say "hey, the thieves are right here, right now". Plus there would be photo evidence, auto-stored in the "cloud".

Then the marketing team could make some graphics that say
"What would you like to tell the Internet?" or
"Ha! Gotcha! If you run, our robots may chase you..." or
"Autonomous Apprehending Device Activated" or
"WARNING: This device is a prototype and may explode if it detects fear" or
<insert witty and snarky remark here>

Ok ... I (mostly) kid - this wouldn't help personal vehicles much. We had an incident in 2013, but the car was a rental and there weren't any personal items in it. It seriously needs to be addressed...

[WSlbl]

Originally Posted by Trying to Help

Everyone knows you can't get eaten by a bear! They just eat your food and maybe drink your beer.

And it is good for experienced attendees to remind others or just share their experiences with those of us newcomers.

Is there a thread on best place to park? Decent food nearby? How far it is from one place to the next? What's the best idea you could give someone who has never been to Champs?

Thank you!

For eating, I can recommend two restaurants near the arena. They're next to each other. One is a pizza place (can't remember the name) and the other is a sandwich shop called Snarf's (highly recommended,good prices and service, also has cool sodas, ice cream). Both tend to have large lines so get there early or late. Some members of my team took shifts waiting and texted everyone when they were about to order. We also go food orders for drive and pit crew when the robot needed fixing.
There is also a starbucks and a few convenience stores nearby along with other lunch places that are more of a walk.
My suggestion is to bring some snacks for yourself/your team and some water for the day. If you're going to eat go in pairs or groups and do shifts for waiting in line. The food at the venue is pretty expensive but there are a few interesting kiosks that open for part of the day.