Federal and state authorities are closely monitoring activities within and outside SoFi stadium during this weekend’s Super Bowl LVI to avoid any attacks, large or small.
This event would be the region’s biggest tournament in some time and the latest big event to occur, amid the region’s continuing crime wave.
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Thousands of officers will be needed Sunday when fans from all around the country descend on Inglewood, California to see the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals.
Along with heightened local police deployment, over 500 DHS officers will provide land, sea, and air protection.
Risks and Security Threats
The Super Bowl’s very nature makes it a pinpoint for assaults and criminal threats, says Pete Eliadis, head of Intelligence Consulting Partners.
A power failure between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans in 2013 forced the game to be halted for almost 30 minutes.
“You witnessed the effect. Imagine a terrorist attack,” said Eliadis, who has worked in Super Bowl and NFL playoff personnel security.
America’s Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, said Tuesday his department will focus on public safety, particularly preventing human trafficking.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it is looking into possible trucker protests, similar to what's happening in Canada, near SoFi Stadium on Super Bowl LVI. https://t.co/VZAxuldAuc
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) February 10, 2022
“If the Los Angeles basin were a state, it’d be the fourth biggest,” said Brandon Tucker, deputy director of aviation operations for US Customs and Border Protection’s San Diego Air and Marine Operations.
Anybody trying to commit criminal deeds for political or religious motives is looking for a densely populated region, which worries them.
According to Jeffrey Simon, a visiting professor in the Department of Political Science at UC Los Angeles, the probability of an attack or big event is very low, due to increased security in and around the venue.
Due to the obvious level of security, he said, most big occasions, like the Super Bowl or the Academy Awards, are not targeted for large-scale attacks.
Terror acts during high-profile events have become a myth, he says, due to horrific events like the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre, in which Palestinian militants killed several Israeli Olympians, and the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park bombing, which killed one and wounded dozens.
Crime in L.A
To protect against aerial threats, the FAA will restrict certain aircraft, including drones, from flying over Los Angeles on Sunday.
In Los Angeles County, crime is on the rise. A homeless fort near SoFi Stadium was corrected last month after officials received a fire report.
A Florida couple was recently confronted by two men wearing masks, demanding the man’s nice watch. When he refused, he was shot in the leg. Bengals fans need not worry, according to LAPD Chief Michel Moore.
Aside from large-scale public vulnerabilities, police forces will have to keep the peace among fans.
Two weeks ago, a 49ers fan was discovered in a medically induced coma in the car park after the NFC championship game between the 49ers and Rams at Inglewood Stadium.
