Author: Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske
As part of the Department of Homeland Security, CBP plays an integral role in this National Special Security Event. Our presence extends well beyond the stadium; we provide venue security at numerous locations including team hotels and practice fields, the Santa Clara Convention Center, the Great America Theme Park and at various NFL related events ahead of and during the game.
In the days and weeks leading up to the big game, Levi’s Stadium and other sites associated with the event receive hundreds of deliveries. And because the Super Bowl is nothing less than “epic,” screening and securing those deliveries is a massive undertaking. CBP’S Office of Field Operations is ready.
Our officers use several large scale non-intrusive inspection technology systems to examine commercial items destined to Super Bowl events. This equipment is used daily as part of our operations at land ports, seaports and airports nationwide to keep illegal items out of the country. CBP will examine all vehicles, containers, shipments, commercial packages, and merchandise to detect hazardous materials, explosives, weapons and anything that could be deemed harmful, unusual or suspicious.
CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement also work together to seize counterfeit merchandise like fake jerseys and other bogus memorabilia that violate intellectual property rights (IPR). CBP has initiated several enforcement operations, including Operation Super Fake II, designed to target and interdict counterfeit merchandise imported and sold during major U.S. sporting events, including Super Bowl 50.
But it’s not just about “boots on the ground” – we also have “eyes in the sky.”
CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) provides surveillance and added law enforcement air support during all Super Bowl-related events taking place in the Santa Clara/San Francisco area. Using sophisticated air surveillance equipment, AMO offers real-time aerial video to law enforcement personnel on the ground and provides air space security around the stadium.
AMO will assist the Department of Defense in enforcing the temporary flight restrictions that are put in place around the stadium on game day. Fixed and rotary-wing aircraft –Blackhawk helicopters, A-Star helicopters, and Cessna airplanes – will monitor and secure the airspace around the stadium; provide aerial surveillance; and coordinate the command and control for non-Defense Department assets from the Air and Marine Operations Center in Riverside, California. CBP air crews will identify, sort, and if necessary, interdict the “low and slow” aircraft, escorting them out of the restricted flight area.
CBP is proud to be part of the team alongside the NFL, City of Santa Clara, Levi’s Stadium, and federal, state and local law enforcement partners in securing and protecting this year’s Super Bowl – a national tradition that entertains hundreds of millions here and around the world.