Heightened security from dozens of local, federal agencies ahead of Super Bowl

Santa Clara, California — Circling Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Wednesday at an altitude of 500 feet, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter was providing a bird’s eye view for the thousands of first responders securing Super Bowl LX.

“Our main goal up here is just to make sure everybody’s safe,” the pilot told CBS News, adding that the focus is on “any type of threats, any kind of violent acts or suspicious activity going on.” 

By being up in the air, CBP has the ability to send live video back to their command centers below so responders on the ground know what they’re dealing with.

Barricades are up, bomb-sniffing dogs are on patrol and everyone entering the stadium area is screened at a checkpoint. The Federal Aviation Administration has also issued a ban on all drone flights over the Super Bowl.    

More than 35 local, state and federal agencies have been working for the last 18 months to prepare for game day.

Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer, said in a news conference Tuesday that there are no known security threats at this time to the Super Bowl. 

“We’ve had no credible or specific threats whatsoever,” Lanier said. 

Lanier also said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would not be working the Super Bowl.

“There are no planned ICE or immigration enforcement operations that are scheduled around the Super Bowl, or any of the Super Bowl–related events,” Lanier said.

Jeff Brannigan, supervisory special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, which like ICE and CBP is part of the Department of Homeland Security, told CBS News that “the federal law enforcement footprint for Super Bowl 60 is consistent with what it has been in years past.”

When pressed on whether DHS will have a role as part of that footprint, Brannigan responded that “DHS law enforcement at large is participating in supporting the Super Bowl. The focus of DHS law enforcement at the Super Bowl is safety and security.”