Homeland Security to Help with Super Bowl Security Despite Shutdown

Homeland Security to Help with Super Bowl Security Despite Shutdown

"The current lapse in government funding will have no effect on our commitment to assuring a safe and secure event," DHS press secretary Tyler Q. Houlton said.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • Jan 24, 2019

Despite the partial government shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday it will still provide security support for this year’s Super Bowl. Super Bowl LIII will be held on Feb. 3, 2019, at Atlanta’s Mercedez-Benz Stadium.

According to federal and local officials, the Super Bowl requires the support of more than 40 federal, local and state agencies, particularly support at the federal level. Officials said the security plans will be led by the Atlanta Police Department and Department of Homeland Security.

DHS and other federal agencies will continue with Super Bowl plans despite the shutdown, DHS press secretary Tyler Q. Houlton told CNN.

"The Department takes the security of special events like the Super Bowl extremely seriously, and we continue executing our protection responsibility and supporting our local public safety partners for this event. The current lapse in government funding will have no effect on our commitment to assuring a safe and secure event," Houlton said in a statement.

Any federal officials working on Super Bowl plans have been deemed essential and will not receive pay until the government is reopened.

Multiple agencies are involved in securing the event, including the FBI, the Secret Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the George Bureau of Investigation, Georgia State Patrol, Georgia World Congress Center Authority Police, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office, Atlanta Fire Rescue and Grady EMS.

Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos told CNN, "We are not disclosing numbers, except to say every Atlanta police officer will be on duty, working 12-hour shifts from January 26 to February 5.”

The Super Bowl is classified as a “SEAR 1” event, an extremely high security rating from the federal government. SEAR 1 events “may require the full support of the United States Government,” according to Coast Guard guidance. The game received the same designation last year.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Maximizing Your Security Budget This Year

    7 Ways You Can Secure a High-Traffic Commercial Security Gate  

    Your commercial security gate is one of your most powerful tools to keep thieves off your property. Without a security gate, your commercial perimeter security plan is all for nothing. Read Now

  • Surveillance Cameras Provide Peace of Mind for New Florida Homeowners

    Managing a large estate is never easy. Tack on 2 acres of property and keeping track of the comings and goings of family and visitors becomes nearly impossible. Needless to say, the new owner of a $10 million spec home in Florida was eager for a simple way to monitor and manage his 15,000-square-foot residence, 2,800-square-foot clubhouse and expansive outdoor areas. Read Now

  • Survey: 72% of CISOs Are Concerned Generative AI Solutions Could Result In Security Breach

    Metomic recently released its “2024 CISO Survey: Insights from the Security Leaders Keeping Critical Business Data Safe.” Metomic surveyed more than 400 Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from the U.S. and UK to gain deeper insights on the state of data security. The report includes survey findings on various cybersecurity issues, including security leaders’ top priorities and challenges, SaaS app usage across their organization, and biggest concerns with implementing generative AI solutions. Read Now

  • New Research Shows a Continuing Increase in Ransomware Victims

    GuidePoint Security recently announced the release of GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team’s (GRIT) Q1 2024 Ransomware Report. In addition to revealing a nearly 20% year-over-year increase in the number of ransomware victims, the GRIT Q1 2024 Ransomware Report observes major shifts in the behavioral patterns of ransomware groups following law enforcement activity – including the continued targeting of previously “off-limits” organizations and industries, such as emergency hospitals. Read Now

Most   Popular

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.” 3

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities 3

  • Hanwha QNO-7012R

    Hanwha QNO-7012R

    The Q Series cameras are equipped with an Open Platform chipset for easy and seamless integration with third-party systems and solutions, and analog video output (CVBS) support for easy camera positioning during installation. A suite of on-board intelligent video analytics covers tampering, directional/virtual line detection, defocus detection, enter/exit, and motion detection. 3