Super Bowl Security Plan Involves Every Level of Government

SAN FRANCISCO — Even in a political environment that is particularly fractious, the NFL and local law enforcement agencies said they are attempting to maintain a normal environment for its security around Sunday’s Super Bowl LX. 

As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents won’t be at the game at Levi’s Stadium, league officials said the federal presence will be consistent with prior Super Bowls, and will be part of an overall collection of about three dozen agencies aiding the NFL from each level of government. 

“The federal presence here is consistent with past Super Bowls, and other sporting events like what you will see with the World Cup and the [2028 Summer] Olympics,” said NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier. 

Of course, normal for a Super Bowl means securing the event as a SEAR-1 level event. That designation—Special Event Assessment Rating by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security— positions the game as an event of “significant national and/or international importance,” and is the second-highest security classification for a large special event. 

The security plan for Super Bowl LX now unfolding has been 18 months in the making. As officials move from a planning phase to an execution one for Super Bowl week, Lanier said there “are no known, specific, or credible threats” around the game or related activities. 

“The Super Bowl is necessarily a combined effort between agencies, but security and safety also requires the support of the public,” said Jeff Brannigan, DHS federal coordinator special agent. 

Those comments echoed those made by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this week as he deflected several hot-button political issues.

“It’s a SEAR-1 level event that involves unique assets at the federal level, state level, and the local level, all working together. I see no change in that,” he said. “We’re working with all three of those levels and doing everything we can to make sure it’s a safe environment. And the federal government is a big part of that, including this administration and every other administration before that. 

“I think SEAR-1 has probably been the category we had since at least the turn of the century, if not before that. So I just anticipate we’ll continue to do the work to make it the safest event,” Goodell said. 

Presidential No-Show

Some components of gameday security, however, have become relatively easier to manage as U.S. President Donald Trump said he will not attend Super Bowl LX.

Trump recently complained the game in California was “just too far away” from Washington. A new report in Zeteo, however, said that several aides and advisers to the president determined there was a rather high chance of Trump being heavily booed by the attending crowd during what could be a record-setting television audience. Trump is highly unpopular in deep-blue California, and some of the musical acts involved in and around the game, including Bad Bunny and Green Day, have been openly critical of the president or his policies. 

“I’m anti-them,” Trump recently said regarding those acts. “I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”