Super Bowl LVII: A look at Philadelphia's plans for possible win
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Win or lose, the Philadelphia Police Department will be beefing up patrols Sunday and preparing for anything that might happen. There's a lot of work that's already been done ahead of Sunday.
The crowd control fences are now lined up along South Broad Street and temporary no parking signs were hung.
And ‘No Stopping’ signs are being added to light poles in Center City @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/pY13xDlusy
— Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) February 10, 2023
One SEPTA bus stop has plywood on top of it so if people climb it, they hopefully will not fall through like they did when the Eagles won the NFC championship game.
Police said they are prepared and hoping for a Super Bowl win.
"I'm an Eagles fan and it's my birthday," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Michael Cram said, "so I'm hoping I get the best birthday present ever."
Cram says Sunday will be an all-hands-on-deck situation for law enforcement.
"All days off are canceled, we're on 12-hour shifts," Cram said. "We have deployment to our traditional gathering spots post-victory. We took a lot of lessons from the past."
Just like the celebrations that happened after the Eagles' NFC championship victory in January, when thousands of people flooded Broad Street in Center City, the city is working to make sure Eagles fans celebrate a potential Super Bowl win safely again.
Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams says he's deploying about 50 dumpster trucks to block off certain roads in the city Sunday evening, where people may gather to celebrate.
The Phila. Streets Commissioner is planning to deploy about 50 dumpster trucks to block off certain streets, to protect people who may be celebrating on Sunday @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/KXmkDzLX3v
— Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) February 10, 2023
"They make sure that vehicles can't approach or crash through a crowd," Williams said, "so they're placed strategically at different intersections."
Fences now strategically line down South Broad Street to keep fans in the street and allow police to watch from the sidewalk.
At SEPTA police headquarters, only CBS News Philadelphia got an inside look at the transit agency's new virtual patrol center.
"We're heavily investing in getting our ridership back," SEPTA Acting Transit Police Chief Chuck Lawson said.
The center launched a few weeks ago, just in time to have extra eyes watching for Sunday when SEPTA Transit Police will also deploy a few dozen additional officers.
"We're bringing in extra personnel," Lawson said. "We're assigning them to locations that historically locations where celebrations pop up and occur."
The virtual patrol center is mostly made up of retired police officers who monitor about 6,000 security cameras at each of SEPTA's stations.
Meanwhile, Mayor Jim Kenney's office said in a statement that they would not reveal if -- or when -- poles will be greased.
One fan told CBS Philadelphia that he plans to climb a pole, greased or not.