Utica Auditorium Institutes New Security Measures

If you're attending Sunday's Utica Comets-Syracuse Crunch pre-season game, you might want to arrive 10 to 15 minutes earlier than usual.

As part of the Utica Auditorium's new safety enhancements, fans entering the building will now be asked to remove all objects from their pockets before passing through hand-held metal detector wands.

No knives of any kind, firearms or weapons will be allowed in the arena. In addition, all bags will also be subject to inspection, as per previous fan safety protocols.

The Aud has also instituted a strict no re-entry policy.

Officials say the new security measures are consistent with those in effect at other sporting venues, including the NBA, MLB and NFL.