Federal Agencies Join State and Local Forces To Throw ‘Full-Domain’ Security Blanket over Super Bowl LX

A huge, multi-agency security operation has enveloped the San Francisco Bay area in preparation for Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium. From nuclear detection helicopters hovering at 100 feet to Coast Guard patrols in the bay, federal, state, and local authorities have launched a coordinated effort to secure the region for the big game.A promised enforcement operation by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is not expected to materialize. The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, said in October that the agency would be “all over” the Super Bowl but the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed Friday that there is “no tangible plan” to deploy ICE officers there.Agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the department’s primary federal law enforcement investigative arm, will be present, the DHS federal coordinator, Jeff Brannigan, confirmed. But he emphasized that the “focus of DHS law enforcement at the Super Bowl is safety and security.”More than 35 agencies have spent the last 18 months preparing for Sunday, creating a “substantial law enforcement presence” designed to protect the more than 1 million people expected to attend the game and related festivities.“We have multiple command centers that we are operating as the federal government in concert with our local partners,” Mr. Brannigan told ABC News. “It’s a broad footprint with a lot of personnel. Some are uniformed and, very clearly, government officials in some way.”The operation is described as a “full-domain security posture,” covering air, land, and sea. “The federal government has brought resources to bear to augment the security planning of the cities of Santa Clara, San Francisco and San Jose, and we have brought resources that those cities don’t necessarily have,” Mr. Brannigan said.A key component of the security blanket is aerial surveillance. U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopters have been circling the stadium at an altitude of 500 feet, providing live video feeds to command centers below.“Our main goal up here is just to make sure everybody’s safe,” a CBP pilot told CBS News, emphasizing that they are looking for “any type of threats, any type of violent acts or suspicious activity going on.”The surveillance capabilities are granular; during a practice flight, Reuters reported that crews could identify the brand of shoes worn by a worker inside the stadium from hundreds of feet in the air.Residents may also spot unfamiliar aircraft, including a helicopter from the Energy Department’s Nuclear Emergency Support Team equipped with radiological detection equipment, which has been conducting low-altitude flights over San Francisco neighborhoods.Despite the heavy visible presence — including barricades, bomb-sniffing dogs, and checkpoints — officials say no specific threats to the event have been identified.“No, we’ve had no credible or specific threats whatsoever,” the NFL’s chief security officer, Cathy Lanier, said in a Tuesday press conference where she confirmed there are “no planned ICE or immigration enforcement operations that are scheduled around the Super Bowl, or any of the Super Bowl–related events.” However, authorities remain vigilant against potential risks ranging from lone-wolf attackers and cyberattacks to drone incursions. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a ban on all drone flights over the Super Bowl.Security efforts extend to the water as well. Because many events are held along the San Francisco waterfront, the U.S. Coast Guard has increased its deployment.Lieutenant Commander Eddie Kalankiewicz said the Coast Guard expects an influx of pleasure boaters and cruise ships. “By showing a greater presence, we hope to deter any kind of bad actor,” he told NBC News.With preparations finalized and “hundreds of federal special agents” working alongside local police, the message to the public is one of vigilance.“It is always better for members of the public to call the police and tell them about something they find suspicious, let the police investigate it, determine it isn’t an issue,” Mr. Brannigan said. “But if you see something, say something.”

Federal Agencies Join State and Local Forces To Throw ‘Full-Domain’ Security Blanket over Super Bowl LX

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