Super
Bowl security tight amidst tension over Trump orders
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[February 01, 2017]
By Ernest Scheyder
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Security in
Houston, America's fourth-largest city, is tight ahead of Sunday's
Super Bowl 51, though officials have vowed to support peaceful
demonstrations against President Donald Trump's executive order
restricting entry to the United States for travelers from some
Muslim-majority nations.
The approach by state, regional and federal U.S. security officials
reflects a delicate balancing act as more than 1 million spectators
are expected to flood into the Texan city as the New England
Patriots take on the Atlanta Falcons.
Protests against Trump's executive order on immigration have spread
across the United States, including one last weekend in downtown
Houston near where the National Football League has placed many
pre-game activities.
Protests are expected to continue throughout the week and into the
weekend, even at the game itself. Halftime performer Lady Gaga has
been an outspoken critic of Trump.
Amidst the protests, officials said no credible threats to the city
have emerged ahead of the game, which is expected to be watched by
more than 100 million people around the globe.
All members of the more-than 5,000-officer Houston Police Department
will be on patrol alongside regional and federal law enforcement,
officials said.
"We have taken every possible precaution to keep people safe," said
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat who took office last
year.
Turner, who asked Trump in a series of posts on Twitter last weekend
to rescind his immigration order, said he respected the rights of
protesters and would support them so long as they remained peaceful.
"Violence is not going to be tolerated or allowed," he said.
"WE'LL BE THERE"
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has deployed
commando-style SWAT (special weapons and tactics) teams ahead of the
game, officials said, and is collecting and sharing intelligence
information with local and regional officials. Security preparations
have been more than three years in the making.
"There is a large uniform presence, and there's also a large
plainclothes presence," said FBI Special Agent Shauna Dunlap. "Maybe
you might not recognize us, but we'll be there."
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Chip Fulghum from the Department of Homeland Security speaks during
the Super Bowl LI security press conference at the Media Center.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Law enforcement officials said the concentration of Super
Bowl-related events in only two areas, rather than several locations
like last year in the San Francisco Bay Area for Super Bowl 50, had
made security coordination easier.
Metal detectors, bomb-sniffing dogs and myriad other security
equipment have been deployed across downtown Houston and 7 miles (11
km) southwest at NRG Stadium, which will host the football game and
about 73,000 spectators.
Hotels have beefed up security as well. The Four Seasons, one of
Houston's most-expensive hotels, has conducted active-shooter drills
and added routine sweeps of plainclothes security throughout the
facility.
"We are prepared for the game," said Chip Fulghum of the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security. "There are no known credible
threats, but obviously this is a high-profile event."
There have only been a handful of arrests thus far at pre-game
events in the city, most of those for pickpocketing and trademark
infringement, said Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo.
"We're prepared to handle any eventuality and able to handle
anything," Acevedo said.
(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Additional reporting by Liz Hampton;
Editing by Andrew Hay)
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