Kevin McMahill is the sheriff of Las Vegas. A robust man in a beige uniform with a star sparkling above the base of his stomach. The head of the local police department has been speaking to newspapers and TV shows for weeks to get his message across before the Super Bowl. “We are ready to take care of those who come to Vegas to cause mischief,” is McMahill’s motto.
A few days before the National Football League (NFL) final between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers (Monday, 12:30 a.m., RTL/DAZN) at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas is on high alert. The Super Bowl is the safest game in the world. To achieve this, the authorities are putting a gigantic effort behind the scenes of the biggest sporting event on the planet – whether in the air or on the ground.
Half an hour’s drive from the city center is the Nellis Air Force Base in the north of the casino city. Two kilometer-long runways run through the air force base, which is one of the largest in the USA. WELT AM SONNTAG takes an Air Force bus to the extensive military area at the foot of rugged mountain slopes. “Lots of area” is probably the best way to describe the landscape. Fighter jets thunder across the sky, the smell of kerosene is in the air, the ground is vibrating.
The guards of the Super Bowl: Cathy Lanier, head of security for the NFL, is at the lectern. Sitting next to her are representatives from the FBI, Secret Service and Homeland Security
Quelle: AFP/PATRICK T. FALLON
While President Joe Biden, as supreme commander of the US armed forces, smiles from a photo on the wall at the checkpoint, the first of three passport controls is about to take place. A few meters away, soldiers check the engine compartments of incoming trucks. There are no bag checks or body searches on this day, which is why as a visitor you inevitably ask yourself what the authorities know about you so that you can forego this check in good conscience.
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“From this base you can fly the fighter jet to the stadium in under a minute,” explains Daniel Bowler from the roof of a large hangar. The 32-year-old mechanic looks after the “Thunderbirds”, the Air Force’s famous aerobatic team. The Thunderbirds, six F-16C Fighting Falcons, will fly over the stadium during the final sounds of the national anthem before the Super Bowl. In the USA, the so-called “fly over” is seen at important sporting events as both an acclaimed show and a demonstration of power.
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The squadron trained for this day for two months, “you only experience it once in your life,” explains Bowler, pointing to an S just a few centimeters tall under the wings. “The pilots orientate themselves on this in the air. In the arrow formation, the machines are only separated by about 45 centimeters.” The Thunderbirds can fly at a speed of around 2,200 km/h. To ensure that the timing is perfect, the pilots are connected by radio to a station in the stadium who announces the arrival time. They can also listen to the anthem live via a button in their ear.
Thousands of security guards at the Super Bowl
Otherwise, the airspace over Las Vegas will become a restricted zone on Super Bowl day. Only a police helicopter with a sniper on board is allowed to circle over the stadium. There are also a few camera drones from the broadcasting TV station CBS. There is a strict ban on flying for private individuals within a radius of 55 kilometers one hour before and one hour after the game. The security authorities said they were prepared to “neutralize” any unauthorized flying object.
The forces on the ground are also prepared. 300,000 visitors are expected in the city for the Super Bowl. Days before the NFL finale, gambling-loving football fans crowd the arcades of famous casinos such as the “Bellagio” or “Caesar’s Palace”. The Department of Homeland Security has classified the Super Bowl as a SEAR 1 event, the highest security level for large events. It is the first event of its kind in the eventful history of the gambling metropolis. It took 18 months to prepare for the game, and a total of 30 authorities were on duty, explains Cathy Lanier at a security team press conference before the Super Bowl. Lanier works as the NFL’s chief security officer.
SWAT teams, sniffer dogs, undercover investigators and a sniper in a helicopter are supposed to protect the Super Bowl
Quelle: Getty Images/Gregory Shamus
Next to her on the podium are representatives from the police, FBI, Secret Service and Homeland Security. Everyone is reluctant to talk about details. Security reasons. Just this much: The Secret Service, which normally protects the US President, has 750 officers on duty. Homeland Security with 385. The Las Vegas Police Department has 1,200 police officers patrolling the famous strip alone. For comparison: a total of 1,500 officials were at the DFB Cup final in Berlin last year.
In Las Vegas the number is likely to be significantly higher than the official information suggests. Cyber security and explosives experts are in the city, according to security chief Lanier, as are SWAT teams and undercover agents. Your tasks: From behind the scenes, ensure security in the virtual and real world and, if necessary, defuse bombs. “To be clear: There is currently no credible threat to the Super Bowl,” emphasizes Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas: “But we are alarmed and ready.”
Fear of lone perpetrators
Sheriff McMahill puts it somewhat bluntly: an “idiot who seeks attention” is the greatest danger. He couldn’t go into detail, but we learned from 2017. At that time, an assassin in Las Vegas fired shots at visitors to a music festival from the Mandalay Bay hotel, killing 58 people. Almost 900 other people were injured, some seriously. The attack left a deep wound in the city, said McMahill. And there were always new dangers lurking. It was only in December that authorities in the city arrested a 16-year-old who had ties to the Islamic State terrorist group. Explosives and components for a bomb were found in his apartment. According to the authorities, “a number of people” were being watched particularly intensively on the occasion of the Super Bowl. A dire warning.
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The organizers originally wanted to use 9,000 volunteers. There was great interest, 14,000 volunteers applied, but ultimately only 7,500 were selected due to cost reasons. The men and women with the black hats will be in all NFL venues around the Super Bowl and make sure everyone finds their goal. The security authorities also rely on the watchful eyes of the volunteers.
In the NFL media center, which was set up in the huge “Mandalay Bay” convention center, every room is guarded. Anyone who has no accreditation or the wrong accreditation will be surrounded by several security officers within seconds. In the famous hotels, agents with excited sniffing dogs mingle with the crowds. On game day itself, security precautions around Allegiant Stadium will be tightened again.
Thousands of temporary surveillance cameras were set up in front of the stadium and in the city
Quelle: picture alliance/Newscom/Dylan Stewart
“Every spectator who wants to enter the stadium is carefully checked. All goods and vehicles that come onto the site are also screened using the latest technology,” assures Spencer L. Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI. Anyone who took a closer look around the Glendale stadium during the Super Bowl last year would repeatedly see men in the crowd wearing dark sunglasses fiddling with their hands. In most cases, it was probably FBI agents who, in an emergency, would have pulled a small mini pistol from their finger to eliminate potential attackers.
Despite having many of their own forces, the security services at the Super Bowl also hold citizens accountable. Anyone who sees anything suspicious should report it immediately. “We’ll do the dirty work,” assured Sheriff McMahill. No city is better prepared than Las Vegas.
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