Super Bowl security plan is intense and secret. But drone pilots better stay away from Hard Rock

It’s been so long since the last Super Bowl in South Florida that fast-evolving technology has forced a lot of changes in security preparations for Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium a week from Sunday.

In 2010, when the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts and The Who performed at halftime, one of the big concerns from the sky was actually big, slow blimps.

Now, it’s much smaller, swifter drones. During last year’s Super Bowl in Atlanta, for instance, six drones flying too close to the stadium throngs were reportedly confiscated in the days before the games.

Federal and local authorities say they have a plan to combat the new threat if it ever appears but, for security purposes, they aren’t willing to share it with the public. But one federal employee familiar with defense and security systems being employed for the Super Bowl said if a drone appears that is perceived in any way as a threat it will be taken care of through “drone mitigation technology.”

Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies said they are working closely to protect the hundreds of thousands expected to flock to South Florida to take part in the activities before and after the Feb. 2 game pitting the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers.

“It’s all hands on deck,” said Anthony Salisbury, special agent in charge of Homeland Security operations in Miami. He would not discuss specifics, saying only that “thousands” of officers and agents from “dozens” of law enforcement agencies will be collaborating on Super Bowl security.

Crime centers will be set up to help law enforcement agencies work together. Hours for local police have been changed to accommodate demands. Special units like K-9, marine and even economic crime units searching for counterfeit or gouging operations will be visible, along with motorcycle and mounted patrols.

The Coast Guard will protect the shores with the help of Customs and Border Protection. Miami-Dade police will work the stadium the day of the game, though no one was willing to say just how many officers will be on hand.

Authorities say they have adapted their security playbook to a post-9/11 era in which drone attacks, social media propaganda and lone wolf killers have emerged as potentially greater threats than a foreign terrorist attack.

“There is no specific credible threat right now,” said Brian Swain, the special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service in South Florida, who is serving as the federal coordinator for Super Bowl security this year. “I’m confident in our security plan.”

“Planning for this has been going on a for a year,” said Miami Beach Police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez. “We had top officials at last year’s Super Bowl to see how they handled things. That helped.”

Increasingly common drones are considered such potentially lethal weapons that the Federal Aviation Administration has imposed a “No Drone Zone” as part of a temporary flight restriction for this year’s Super Bowl. It will extend for a 30-mile radius from and 18,000 feet above Hard Rock Stadium.

The FAA will also restrict drones for one-mile and up to 2,000 feet around two areas more than 10 miles from the stadium that are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to Miami Beach and downtown Miami in the week leading up to the game. The Miami Beach Convention Center, is hosting the interactive Super Bowl Experience and Super Bowl Live will take place in Miami’s Bayfront Park.

Commercial flights won’t be affected by the no-drone/no-fly policy in these areas.

Emphasizing the anti-drone effort, the FAA released a 35-second video on Youtube called the “No Drone Zone.” The video begins with a flyover of Hard Rock Stadium, then shows various, mostly waterfront locations, around South Florida. It warns anyone flying a drone could face stiff fines and even prosecution.

“Enjoy the Super Bowl. Leave your drone at home,” is displayed on the screen.

Despite — or maybe because of the measures — the Super Bowl has never experienced an attack of any kind since the AFL began taking on the NFL back in 1967. Only once did it have a close call. That came in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2015, when three men who had pledged support for the Islamic State Group practiced shooting assault rifles in the desert as they prepared for an attack on Super Bowl XLIX, according to a federal indictment.

The attack never happened. But two of the men were killed later that year when they opened fire at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest. The third man was arrested, which led to the disclosure of the alleged Super Bowl plot.

“We tilt toward preventing violence whatever the source,” Swain said when asked whether the FBI-led terrorism task force in South Florida would be focusing more on lone wolf attackers than terrorist organizations.

Salisbury said one issue facing law enforcement — which it largely ignored a decade ago — was human trafficking. He said a federal coordination team has joined with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the NFL and non-governmental agencies including both women’s groups and gentlemen’s clubs to target traffickers who capitalize on the sex trade during game week.

“It was not on our radar 10 to 15 years ago, but it is now,” Salisbury said. He called Miami a “hub” for sex tourism because it attracts travelers from all over the world.

Even the media is getting some help. All the various law enforcement agencies have joined forces at what is being referred to as a Joint Interactive Center, a mobile command center where news media will be able to get in touch with everyone from local policing agencies to the FAA to the FBI to Homeland Security.

The ultimate security goal is simple, said Homeland Security’s Salisbury: “We want to have a safe, enjoyable environment for the Super Bowl.”

This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 6:00 AM.