Houston Prepares for Super Bowl With Mass Surveillance Initiatives
Officials have spent several years planning security measures for the biggest game of the year.
HOUSTON – Super Bowl Sunday is a hectic day. Whether it’s the one million people who flock to the host city, or the hundreds of millions of people watching around the world, it is integral that all operations run smoothly.
The FBI and its local, state and federal law enforcement partners have been working together to ensure Houston remains safe throughout Super Bowl festivities.
“We’ve been working for several years with our partners to make sure appropriate security is in place,” says Perrye Turner, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Houston Division. “We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure it’s a safe event.”
The FBI says everyone from SWAT teams and cyber squads, to intelligence analysts and surveillance specialists will be on the ground at the stadium and staffing command posts.
Officials have emphasized that they want to minimize tactical police presence and increase surveillance through cameras and undercover officers.
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“Maybe you might not recognize us, but we’ll be there,” says FBI Special Agent Shauna Dunlap.
Houston has deployed Axis thermal cameras equipped with Jemez Technology’s Eagle-i Edge perimeter surveillance software to watch over the 10-day Super Bowl LIVE event.
“We are proud to help maintain public safety everyday and at special events such as Super Bowl LIVE. Jemez is honored to partner with Axis in this critical work,” says Bud Michael, Jemez Technology vice president of corporate strategy.
ABC News reports that authorities have also teamed up with Verizon to provide smart cameras that will monitor any abnormal behaviors.
“If we had an object left behind or a vehicle placed where it shouldn’t be, the cameras could actually pick that up and flag that as an abnormal event and trigger an alert for us to look at that,” says Darren Pokonene, a solutions architect at the Verizon command center.
Officials say no credible threats to the city have emerged ahead of the big game.
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About the Author
Steve Karantzoulidis, Web/Senior Editor
Steven A. Karantzoulidis is the Web Editor for Security Sales & Integration. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Communication and has a background in Film, A/V and Social Media.
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