Year after year the Super Bowl It is the most watched event in the United States. Last year more than 115 million viewers were in front of televisions watching the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
More than any other sporting event, the Super Bowl symbolizes American culture. That presents a security risk, and one that the NFL spends years preparing for.
Security is the most critical issue and the one that arouses particular interest this year.
Las Vegas was the target of a local attack: the 2017 mass shooting at a music festival that killed 60 people and injured more than 400. And the current alignment of international crises is disturbing. The war between Israel and Hamas, the Red Sea crisis, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the drone attack on Tower 22 all involve American interests.
All of these events gave rise to threats against the United States. Last December, senior Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said: “We need violent acts against American and British interests everywhere… they must pay a price for the blood of our women and children who are being murdered.”
Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, He recently warned that his country “would respond if the United States took action against US-backed militia groups that killed three American soldiers in Jordan. Last weekend, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they will face “escalation by escalation.”
None of these and other threats necessarily mean that an attack on US or allied soil is more likely, but they do raise concerns.
Although he Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not recently issue a specific warning about a possible terrorist attack, some partner agencies abroad perceive a greater threat, although they are currently targeting the United Kingdom.
Baird Fogel, partner in charge of Eversheds Sutherland’s San Francisco office, is intimately familiar with the stadium (the first major 100% renewable sports stadium in the United States) and its capabilities.
Fogel is confident that Allegiant is up to the task of providing a safe place. And he explained that “they are complying with the maximum security protocols required by the NFL.”
To that end, security efforts include “implementing a “hard” perimeter of nearly 100 meters around the facility, establishing multiple vehicle checkpoints that will include vetting of all services, VIP and talent transportation, and utilizing security state-of-the-art entry technology at all five entry points combining facial recognition and metal sensor technology.
“The safety of our fans, players and club and venue staff at all NFL events is our top priority,” said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy. “We have the utmost confidence in our comprehensive security plans.”
McCarthy explained that for this year’s game at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas Dozens of agencies spanning local, county, state and federal governments collaborate. Key players include the Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Secret Service, the FBI, ATF, Customs and Border Patrol, ICE, Clark County (Nev.), the Clark County Fire Department and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Police department.
DHS has a special designation for the Super Bowl, providing more than 600 personnel to support air, facilities, cyber and infrastructure security, with real-time situational awareness.
CISA, which is part of DHS, conducted a hands-on exercise during the US fall with personnel from the NFL, Allegiant and other stakeholders to evaluate cybersecurity response capabilities and means to protect the event.
The NFL He also hired his own security staff for the big game, who will be in charge of reviewing security procedures to determine who cannot enter among the 70,000 attendees expected at the Allegiant to witness Super Bowl 58.
McCarthy He also highlighted that Super Bowl security plans are “continuously reviewed” and, if necessary, adjusted and improved.
Michael Mazurczak, member at Melick & Porter in Boston who worked on security issues at NFL stadiums, stressed that “security at NFL stadiums is strong.”
Additionally, he emphasized that “there are multiple levels of perimeter control” and reminded fans of an old but important saying: when they “see something,” they should “say something.”
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
