Super Bowl Security A Top Priority With The Big Game Less Than A Month Away
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – With Super Bowl 54 coming to Hard Rock Stadium in less than a month, CBS4's Hank Tester got a look at the security measures being put in place.
Security was definitely tight at last year's Super Bowl in Atlanta.
But this year in Miami, with the back drop of intense turmoil with Iran and proxy groups just short of war with the United States, security needs to be at its best.
"I can tell you that we are well prepared with security measure here in Miami-Dade County for the Super Bowl," said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
It's not just the big game that needs protection.
On South Beach, several major Super Bowl events will take place a week before.
"Our agency is working closely with local, state and federal partners monitoring the activities that is happening overseas," said Miami Beach Police Department spokesperson Ernesto Rodriguez.
On Wednesday night, a Super Bowl community meeting was held at the Miami Police Department. Downtown residents were concerned about Super Bowl traffic and parking. But in light of the unsettling news out of the Middle East, security was on the front burner.
Greg Terp, a former cop, played a big security role in the 2010 Super Bowl held in Miami. He's now part of the Super Bowl Host Committee.
"Since 2010, the threat levels are gonna be up, including cyber threats, drones, but all those things are being looked at," said Terp.
The crowd was told that local and state law enforcement is not going it alone. The feds will be all over South Florida Super Bowl week.
"We have a lot of agencies working. Federal agencies from all over coming to Miami – FBI, Secret Service, DEA," said Asst. Chief Ron Papier. "Everybody will be in town making sure Miami is the safest city in the world."
A routine FBI bulletin sent to local law enforcement agencies read:
"The FBI is aware of the continued possibility that retaliatory actions could be taken against the United States and its interests abroad. While there is no specific or credible threat to the Homeland at this time, we urge the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. As always, we will work with our intelligence and law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information."