---
title: Only the Homeland Security Secretary Can Switch On the Liability Shield Behind Stadium Security
description: A federal liability shield covers 1,276 approved security products and services, but none of it applies until the Homeland Security Secretary acts.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
updated: 2026-08-02T11:34:46.680Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/safety-act-liability-shield-stadium-security
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/safety-act-liability-shield-stadium-78238.webp
categories: Politics
content_type: News
region: United States
publication: Sovereign Magazine
access: members
schema_type: Article
---

The security program at AT&T Stadium carries a federal liability shield. So do the ones at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Allegiant Stadium, Petco Park, Wrigley Field, Citizens Bank Park, Empower Field at Mile High, Ball Arena, Fiserv Forum and Northwest Stadium. So do person-borne explosive detection canine teams, an anti-ram passive cable barrier system, a counter-drone system suite and a mass notification system. All of it sits on one public list. None of the protection applies automatically.

That protection comes from the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act, known as the SAFETY Act, which the Department of Homeland Security administers. It carries one condition that governs everything else. Protections apply only to claims arising out of, relating to, or resulting from an event the Secretary of Homeland Security has [designated an act of terrorism](https://www.safetyact.gov/about/benefits). Absent that designation, a seller facing a lawsuit after an attack has the same exposure as any other contractor.

## A Designation Caps a Seller's Liability at Its Insurance Level

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