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Super Bowl: LAPD, FBI And Other Law Enforcement Agencies Beefing Up Security For Big Game

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - With the Super Bowl just one week away, law enforcement from across the country has started to descend on the city with everything from helicopters to x-ray scanners on the ground.

Super Bowl Security
Department of Energy Nuclear Security Administration helicopter equipped with radiation sensing technology.

The Los Angeles Police Department has already started beefing up patrols at sites like LA Live, where throngs of fans are expected as game time ramps up.

According to some fans, the extra security is a welcome sight.

"That helps, that helps a lot," said one fan.

"I think they'll put it off for us," said another.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the beefed up security would last through Super Bowl Sunday and into Monday.

"Actual added deployments between now and the day after the Super Bowl, for the activities related to this celebration, this competition," Chief Moore said.

SoFi is already getting dressed up and ready as fans from across the country make their way to LA. It's not just local enforcement stepping up precautions either. Federal agents are on the scene as well.

Super Bowl Security 2

Par of that security arsenal is a chopper from the Department of Energy Nuclear Security Administration. The helicopter is equipped with radiation sensing technology, making certain the unthinkable doesn't happen.

On the ground, Customs and Border Protection showed off a scanning device, which will x-ray vehicles coming into the secured area around SoFi Stadium.

"They'll be staged in the area right outside of SoFi Stadium and we will be running scans or x-rays of all conveyances that are going into the facility. We will be looking for things that shouldn't be in the cargo - weapons, explosives - any types of items or contraband, things that could present threats to attendees or the facility," said Customs and Border Protection Director of Field Operations for LA Carlos Martel.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, of course, is monitoring chatter from everywhere. Kristi Johnson, Assistant Director in Charge at the FBI's LA Field Office, spoke with CBSLA.

"We have no specific threats going into the dates of February 13, but starting to morrow, we will have an intelligence command post set up here and every day until, and through, the Super Bowl. We will make sure we are tracking any concerns we can share with our partners and act upon," Johnson said.

The big game is a change for LA to shine, but with the realities of crime and the homeless crisis here, the city has many challenges, which will be on full display.

"It's going to be hard. I hope that everybody that's supposed to be taking care of what they're supposed to be taking care of take care of it, from law enforcement all the way down," said a fan.

According to Chief Moore, preparations for Super Bowl security have been underway for two years and added that there are thousands of extra officers at the ready.

 

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