Houston Ready For Public Safety Responsibilities During Super Bowl

The FBI says at this time there are no credible threats connected to the event.

By Al OrtizJanuary 6, 2017 9:30 am, ,

From Houston Public Media

Houston will host the Super Bowl next month and, as one of the biggest sporting events of the year, it entails a lot of responsibilities in terms of public safety.

The Department of Homeland Security considers the Super Bowl a SEAR One event.

SEAR stands for Special Event Activity Rating and level one events are those of such national and international importance they require extensive cooperation between law enforcement agencies at the local, regional and federal level.

Mayor Sylvester Turner emphasized during a press conference held at City Hall on Thursday that those involved in protecting Houston during the Super Bowl have been planning for two years.

“They know exactly what they’re going to be doing. Law enforcement will be seamless and, quite frankly, most of the security, you know, you, you won’t see, but they will be there, I can assure you,” Turner said.

Houston Police Department Chief Art Acevedo declined to give details about how the local police will deploy on Super Bowl week.

“Whether it’s traffic or security at the game, or security at planned events and unplanned events, everyone is playing a role and the specific roles may change, you know, operational needs will dictate who’s doing what,” Acevedo commented and added “we are going to utilize every strategy, every effort, every intelligence capability to make sure people are safe.”

One detail Acevedo did confirm is that a concrete barrier will be installed around NRG Stadium.

Perrye Turner, the FBI special agent in charge for the Houston division, said that at this time there are no credible threats connected to the Super Bowl.