Eugene weekly., December 21, 2023, Page 4, Image 4

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THE HULT CENTER AND TWO OTHER
EUGENE MUSIC VENUES USE
SCANNERS FROM A COMPANY UNDER
FIRE FOR LETTING WEAPONS SLIP BY
IN SCHOOLS
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Offer expires 12/27/23
By Emma J Nelson
Sushi & Asian deli take-out
CHRISTMAS
SPECIAL
CLOSED CHRISTMAS DAY
10%
Insecurity
Measures
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I
n October, Eugene’s Hult Center for the Performing Arts
leased AI-powered security scanners for $170,000 a year
to “ensure a secure environment.” However, the Massa-
chusetts corporation that created the magnetometers,
Evolv Technology, is now under investigation by the
Federal Trade Commission for allegedly misrepresent-
ing its product’s capabilities.
Internet Protocol Video Market, a research group that analyzes
security and surveillance technology, found in December 2022
that Evolv had paid the National Center for Spectator Sports
Safety and Security, a government-funded academic center, an
estimated $20,000 to doctor the results on its product testing.
When asked if he was aware of the FTC’s investigation or
IPVM’s report before leasing the devices on Aug. 30, Hult Center
General Manager Jeff Weinkauf said he wasn’t.
“In our research, we noted that Evolv was widely used by facili-
ties doing similar work and came highly recommended by those
groups,” Weinkauf says. “One of the most attractive elements was
that the system could support ingress of large crowds in a short
time which met our goal of limiting impact on our attendees.”
According to Weinkauf, he was able to see how Evolv oper-
ates at the Cuthbert Amphitheater. Both the Cuthbert and the
McDonald Theatre also use Evolv magnetometers.
IPVM found in its Dec. 6, 2022, report that NCS4 allowed Evolv
“to set evaluation criteria, extensively redline the fi nal released
report and cover up testing failures in its weapons detection
system used in schools, museums, theme parks, stadiums and
other venues across the U.S.”
According to a May article in The Intercept, the Utica School
District in New York installed Evolv Technology scanners in 13
schools. School authorities noted that the magnetometers,
which the district spent $4 million on, have allowed knives and
a police offi cer’s revolver through without fl agging them. One
student was able to carry a knife past the scanners on Oct. 31,
2022, and stabbed a fellow student.
Although there was no one incident that inspired the use of
the security scanners at the Hult Center, Weinkauf says, “Having
a plan that is just based around hope and the goodwill of people
in our area is not enough.”
Weinkauf says he worries about large gathering spaces such
as performing arts centers being considered “softer targets,” and
he hopes that recent security upgrades can mitigate this danger.
“People place a lot of trust in us when they come here,”
Weinkauf says. “We just want to make sure that we're as safe
as possible, that we're doing our due diligence to provide a safe
place for everyone.”
When something is fl agged by the magnetometers, the patron
is asked to visit the resolution table where they can be manu-
ally checked for weapons or prohibited paraphernalia. Thus
far, Weinkauf says, the Evolv scanners have stopped off -duty
police offi cers carrying fi rearms and some people with forgot-
ten pocket knives. Weinkauf says that the Hult Center team is
able to limit wait time at the resolution table to under a minute,
especially when the system fl ags a false positive.
“Evolv was never presented to us as a single solution to all
of our screening needs,” Weinkauf says. “Additionally, we use
Evolv in a multi-layered approach and do not rely solely on its
technology to secure our facility.”
In addition to installing Evolv scanners, the Hult Center has
also upgraded from its previous 12 security cameras to more than
40 HD cameras placed internally and externally, Weinkauf says.
“The posture is not 'We're watching you,'” he says. “It's more
'We want to provide a space where people can feel completely
welcome and as safe as possible, within reason, to come and
have great experiences.'”
Weinkauf says that, as of now, he and the Hult Center are
comfortable with the use of Evolv.
“I would absolutely be looking into any of those allegations,”
he says. “We would do our due diligence and follow up.” ■
HAPPENING PEOPLE
By Paul Neevel
Riley Derrick
“I've always been the class clown," Riley Derrick says. “The people I modeled
were David Letterman and Bill Murray. I stayed up late in middle school to
see them.” A seventh-generation Oregonian whose ancestors arrived by
covered wagon, Derrick was a bat boy for the Eugene Emeralds while in
middle school, and his fi rst paid job, at age 15, was in Farrell's Ice Cream
Parlour. After graduation from Churchill High School, he found a job at the
local Costco Wholesale Warehouse. “I've worked there for 23 years,” he
recounts. “I started out at the gas station, then moved through electronics
and the photo lab. I did printing in the photo lab and wound up talking with
people about weddings and funerals. The most rewarding part of the work
was trying to help people.” He went on to supervise the Costco front end,
where the registers are, and he writes the schedule for all the front end
employees. “I'm a fan of David McCullough,” Derrick says. “He's the author
of John Adams and Truman. I went to hear him speak, and he talked about
how important it is to share what you love. It's become a mantra to me.” In
2019, Derrick began to assemble art installations in his personal staff
locker, a small 9x12-inch box among many others on the wall of a long hallway
from the registers to the restrooms. “I started putting pictures in it, pho-
tos of my dad, toys from my childhood, stuff that made me happy,” he notes.
“When I showed it to people, they fl ipped out. Now I leave it open, even when
I'm not there. I've done around 10 diff erent lockers: always a Christmas
locker, sometimes a Halloween locker. My original childhood locker remains up fi ve or six months at a time.” Over the
years, Derrick has designed and built a lot of offi ce decor, front yard decor and kids bedroom decor. In the photograph,
he shows off one of his creative endeavors, a cutout of Punxsutawney Phil, constructed for a Groundhog Day party. “I
love Groundhog Day,” he explains, “and I wanted to share that with my family and friends.”
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