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DENVER — It wouldn’t be football season without a few new security measures.

Not that long ago, there was talk about clear plastic bags, which are still part of the deal to attend Broncos games at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Now the Broncos are doing something that should make the process of getting into the stadium a little less invasive.

The walk-through metal detectors will remove the need for the wand and pat-down procedures that fans have grown used to over the years.

A similar effort by the Rockies led to some long lines during the home opener this year, but there were a limited number of machines. The Broncos believe they have enough to help save time and more important, they believe it will help safety.

FOX31 investigators managed to get handguns through the old security process for three straight years.

The metal detectors will be put to use for the first time Saturday when the Broncos play host to the San Francisco 49ers. Kickoff for the preseason game is at 7 p.m.

“Safer, absolutely. We’re not relying on the actual manpower with the wand. We’re relying on the full metal detector unit to do the work for us,” a stadium security official said.

Whether the metal detectors speed up the process remains to be seen, but it’s something that all fans will have to get used to because the league is mandating the detectors in all stadiums by 2017.

And since it’s the preseason, it’s a good idea to get to the stadium early because if you get caught waiting in line, you might miss the starters playing.