Security detail for Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis this weekend is the largest "ever deployed in Minnesota -- and in Super Bowl history” -- and is an “enormously complex effort involving hundreds of officers from 60 police departments across the state, 40 federal agencies and related offices, 400 members of the Minnesota National Guard, and private contractors," according to Janet Moore of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. It took “two years to plan security” for the event. About $5M has been “set aside by the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee for public safety, public works and other costs associated with the game and festivities.” The committee is also “reimbursing the state” $1.08M for deployment of the National Guard. A command center to coordinate security efforts has been “set up near U.S. Bank Stadium, the location of which has not been divulged.” It has “even been scrubbed from public documents for security reasons” (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/28). Minneapolis Police Commander Scott Gerlicher said that the Super Bowl will have the “largest deployment of federal resources yet” because Minneapolis has a “relatively small department -- less than 900 officers compared to the roughly 5,000 in Houston,” where Super Bowl LI was played last year. The AP’s Amy Forliti noted dozens of other cities are “sending officers too.” An additional 10,000 volunteers are “being trained to spot suspicious activity” (AP, 1/27).
PHONE IT IN: In St. Paul, Julio Ojeda-Zapata noted the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority is preparing to “keep up with visitors’ ravenous appetite for wireless bandwidth” while at U.S. Bank Stadium. As part of the effort, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon have all “beefed up their wireless capacity in the stadium, each with hundreds of antennas in the facility.” Verizon alone “has 1,200, up from about 900 last season.” AT&T and Sprint “each claim about 800 stadium antennas.” Some antennas are “shared -- a part of Verizon’s shared or ‘neutral host’ DAS -- and some are exclusive.” For instance, Verizon now “has antennas in stairway handrails (separate from handrail units used for Wi-Fi) and other safety railings.” The carrier is also “putting antennas under some seats.” Verizon alone “thinks it will handle double the traffic it saw at last year’s Super Bowl LI, when it ferried about 11 terabytes of data in and around NRG Stadium in Houston.” Before that, Verizon “saw 7 terabytes of data at Super Bowl 50,” and 4.1 at Super Bowl XLIX. Outdoor wireless service at or near U.S. Bank Stadium “has been beefed up.” MinnesotaSports Authority Chief Technology Adviser & Interim Exec Dir James Farstad said that WiFi in the stadium’s outdoor plaza is “much-improved.” T-Mobile said that it has “deployed 120 small cells in Minneapolis -- including several at U.S. Bank Stadium and surrounding venues.” Sprint said that it has “installed 200 small cells across the metro area” (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 1/28).
THE TAKEOVER: In St. Paul, Nick Ferraro noted the NFL has “officially taken over” U.S. Bank Stadium, which is “decked out in Super Bowl decor inside and out.” With the game coming this Sunday, NFL Dir of Event Operations Eric Finkelstein said, “We feel that we’re right where we need to be in order to be prepared and ready.” Finkelstein added that he considers last week’s snowstorm a “‘dry run’ for the potential of Minneapolis getting walloped in the days leading up to or on game day.” He said, “It’s like a real-life rehearsal on how to prioritize things” (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 1/24).
ON TO THE NEXT ONE: In Atlanta, Tim Tucker noted dozens of people from Atlanta are going to Minneapolis as “part of their preparation for hosting” Super Bowl LIII next year. The delegation will “study the Super Bowl spectacle up-close at the NFL’s invitation, getting a behind-the-scenes view of what’s headed” to Atlanta. The Atlanta group will include Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee COO Brett Daniels, some staff and board members of the host committee, as well as “representatives of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Georgia World Congress Center, Philips Arena, the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau and public-safety departments” (AJC.com, 1/28).
