Inside the Massive Security Effort

Southers noted that the NFL championship game’s VIP attendees make the event an attractive target for anyone wanting to do harm.

Federal and local authorities say there are “no known specific credible threats” at this time, but they are prepared and “cautiously optimistic” about securing the granddaddy of annual events in America at the state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium Sunday in Inglewood, California.

The potential threats to an extremely high-profile event like the Super Bowl run the gamut – from domestic and foreign terrorism, to acts of Mother Nature, to more routine criminal enterprises such as theft, the sale of counterfeit goods and human trafficking.

Yet experts say pulling off any sort of large-scale attack would not be easy. The Inglewood Police Department is the lead agency in charge of overall security for Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals. But because the Super Bowl has been designated as a “Special Event Assessment Rating 1,” extensive federal inter-agency support in terms of expertise, assets and technology is being provided to “identify and plug holes,” said Jesse Baker, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Office and federal security coordinator for the event.

“We don’t open up our playbook just like the coaches don’t during the game, but I want everyone to feel very confident knowing we have a very robust and thorough security plan that enhances the partnerships and leverages the security and expertise of federal, state and local agencies,” Baker told The Wrap.

There’s always the risk of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive incidents, which are the worst case scenarios, during massive public events, said USC’s Southers. Moreover, because the Super Bowl is held in an open-air stadium, there is also the added concern about weaponized drones. 

“It’s amazing how they can swarm drones into a space if they want to,” he said. “We have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Baker said the security team has requested the Federal Aviation Administration set up a temporary flight restriction (TFR) limiting certain flight operations to reduce the risk of possible aerial attacks.

“We’ll never forget 9-11… We know the risks posed by manned aircraft and by drones,” he said. 

The restrictions are set out to almost 30 nautical miles, Baker said. If a plane illegally enters that space, they have helicopters from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as fighter planes from the U.S. Department of Defense to tackle that issue. Federal agencies have the technology to deal with drones, he noted.

“In 2022, the amount of things and damage that you can do from cyber is really beyond imagination,” Baker said. “We have a very robust analysis to look at that.”

Federal officials are also preparing for the possibility of cyber attacks, which could shut down the entire power grid of a region.

In preparation for the Super Bowl, federal officials also have been engaged in what Baker described as the “bread and butter” of security – intelligence gathering to anticipate possible acts. He said they have support in that regard from the FBI and various agencies under the Department of Homeland Security. 

Domestic terrorism is a real concern today with extremist groups like those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection “prepared to engage again,” USC’s Southers noted.

But realistically speaking, attendees should be more concerned with having a wallet or other valuables stolen and other criminal activity amid such a high attendance event, he said.

“We know there are criminal enterprises that for them the Super Bowl is an annual event, from pickpockets to human trafficking,” Southers said. “Wherever the Super Bowl goes, they go.” 

Acts of nature are also a real concern at these kinds of events. The No. 1 reason a stadium would have to evacuate or shelter in place is not an attack but lightning strikes, he said.

Southers is managing director of counter terrorism and infrastructure protection at TAL Global. The international security consulting firm conducted a security vulnerability study for the city of Inglewood several years ago for a stadium on the site where SoFi now stands. 

The firm conducted an all-hazards risk assessment looking at not only terrorism but other threats like earthquakes, fires, floods and power outages, which “can create incredible chaos if they’re not handled well,” Southers said, adding that stadium officials view security from this same perspective.

“It’s not just about terrorism and active shooters because what can disrupt a game in the NFL today will most likely be an act of nature because it happens,” he said.

Because of its high profile and federal security coordination, the Super Bowl is the most secured event in the U.S. right now, noted Brian Levin, a criminologist and director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

If someone is willing to kill themselves in a suicide bombing or there is some kind of coordinated attack, the biggest risk comes from just outside the secured area as large numbers of people are entering and exiting, he said. This is what happened during the deadly suicide bombing attack that occurred near the entrance at Kabul airport in Afghanistan last August. 

“It’s not like everybody in the stadium gets magically dropped in there. They have to get there,” Levin said. “That’s going to be the biggest thing. You can’t have these perimeter protections extend to the ocean, right?”

Baker noted that the Secret Service is relying on the local police agencies and jurisdictions for areas far outside the security perimeter. 

“There’s a very robust security awareness and security plan that individual departments that are responsible for those areas will cover,” he said.

Meanwhile, Levin agreed that Super Bowl attendees are at greater risk of being victims of pickpocketing or alcohol-fueled assaults than terrorism. A San Francisco 49ers fan was in a medically induced coma after an altercation in which he was punched and then hit his head on the ground before the NFC Championship Game against the L.A. Rams in Inglewood on Jan. 30. 

But in general, people are at a heightened risk today than in previous years “because the risk (of potential attacks) is so diversified now,” Levin said.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore told the police commission that the department has initiated its command post operations that will run 24-7 to monitor sanctioned and associated events related to the Super Bowl in the city. For example, at L.A. Live, there are added barriers, vehicle checks and screening of personnel along with a highly visible police presence, he said. 

Law enforcement officials and anti-trafficking groups are also watching for signs of human trafficking, including sex trafficking of minors with the influx of visitors and, sadly, potential clients for the big event.

“These guys who are street entrepreneurs running girls for sex take advantage of that,” said Ray Bercini, a retired L.A. County Sheriff’s detective and a lead coordinator for the L.A. Regional Human Trafficking Taskforce which represents victims and the nonprofit Saving Innocence, which aims to end the commercial exploitation of children.

Most of the girls are on a circuit and are moved from large cities like Los Angeles, to Las Vegas to Seattle to Chicago to Miami to New York, he said. The I-15 from L.A. to Vegas is “a pipeline” for trafficked youth. 

Jasmine Jones, senior lead case manager at Saving Innocence, said that with the Super Bowl, more ads go up for trafficking and exploitation, including on Craig’s List and Only Fans. Some of the victims the nonprofit works with are as young as six or seven years old, she said.

As part of the First Responder Protocol, Saving Innocence works with local law enforcement and social service agencies to respond within 90 minutes when a youth is recovered from a trafficking or exploitative situation. The nonprofit is ramping up some of the support it normally offers ahead and after the Super Bowl by putting extra people on call.

“We’re making sure we have staff ready and willing to go out all hours of the night to help recover some of these youth,” Jones said.

Baker of the Secret Service noted that everyone has a shared responsibility to protect one another from possible harm. That means reporting anything to authorities that seems suspicious or out of place even before the big game day.

“When in doubt, put it in the hands of experts,” Baker said. “Usually when someone wants to do damage, it’s about getting them help and knowing that ahead of time.”

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