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American Morning
Super Bowl Security Will be Super Tight This Year
Aired January 24, 2003 - 08:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Super Bowl security will be super tight this year. Operation Game Day is part of an unprecedented crackdown to protect Qualcomm Stadium for the big game on Sunday.
Mike Brooks joins us live from San Diego.
Mike, what types of precautions are being taken out there to make sure that this event goes smoothly and, most importantly, safely?
MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jonathan, many, many precautions are being taken as the fans start to come into San Diego to enjoy the Super Bowl. But the San Diego Police Department, federal agencies, state agencies are planning for the worst, but hoping for the best.
They've been planning for over a year now for the Super Bowl and all of the security precautions that go along with that.
We're fortunate to have with us this morning San Diego Police Chief David Bjarano.
Chief, Thanks for being with us this morning.
CHIEF DAVE BJARANO, SAN DIEGO POLICE: Mike, good morning.
My pleasure.
BROOKS: So, you've been planning for a year. We're a couple days away. Tell me what you feel right now is the biggest threat to the Super Bowl.
BJARANO: Well, again, as you mentioned, Mike, we actually started our security planning over a year ago, visiting New Orleans as far as what they were doing and trying to hopefully take some of their successes to San Diego.
Probably the two major concerns involves terrorism. That has to be in the back of our mind post-9/11. San Diego, the way it's positioned with the port, the international border, military, etc., we have to be aware of that. So we've been planning for that absolutely to prevent anything related to terrorism. Then the other major issue involves crowd control. We are expecting about 80,000, maybe 100,000 people visiting San Diego. So the planning started a year ago with a focus on terrorism and crowd control.
BROOKS: But, now, San Diego is the lead law enforcement agency for this event. It has not been officially declared a national security special event at San Diego because of their experience with the 1988 Super Bowl, the 1998 Super Bowl, the 1996 Republican national convention and the biotech conference, with the large demonstrations in 2001. They felt that you all could handle it.
BJARANO: That's correct. We are the lead agency. But keep in mind, we also have over 20 other federal, state and local agencies involved. And that was part of the reason why they allowed us to be the lead agency and it was not designated as a national special security event. Again, we have prior experience -- the '88 and '98 Super Bowl, the Republican national convention in 1996 and then just under two years ago the biotech conference, which drew about a thousand protesters. So, again, I believe a lot, a major, a lot, involves, again, the cooperation, the relationship we have with all these agencies.
BROOKS: Now what role does the FBI and the United States Secret Service play? I mean they probably have prestaged people here ready for anything, weapons of mass destruction, chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological event?
BJARANO: Correct. Again, that's what the FBI brings to the table here as part of our security plan, all the resources, all the technology, all of the support personnel needed for a major event, plus, obviously, the intelligence information they bring to the event. We also have the Secret Service. They're helping us out with the metal detectors, additional personnel, some of the credentials that are being issued.
BROOKS: Right.
BJARANO: So, again, it really is a team effort.
BROOKS: Thank you very much, Chief.
BJARANO: Thank you.
BROOKS: So, Jonathan, the San Diego Police Department, I think the main message the chief wants to get out, and yesterday at a press conference, was come to the Super Bowl, enjoy yourself, but lawlessness will not be tolerated and they will respond quickly if anything else happens. But come here and enjoy yourself.
BJARANO: All right, Mike Brooks, thanks for that update on Operation Game Day.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 24, 2003 - 08:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Super Bowl security will be super tight this year. Operation Game Day is part of an unprecedented crackdown to protect Qualcomm Stadium for the big game on Sunday.
Mike Brooks joins us live from San Diego.
Mike, what types of precautions are being taken out there to make sure that this event goes smoothly and, most importantly, safely?
MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jonathan, many, many precautions are being taken as the fans start to come into San Diego to enjoy the Super Bowl. But the San Diego Police Department, federal agencies, state agencies are planning for the worst, but hoping for the best.
They've been planning for over a year now for the Super Bowl and all of the security precautions that go along with that.
We're fortunate to have with us this morning San Diego Police Chief David Bjarano.
Chief, Thanks for being with us this morning.
CHIEF DAVE BJARANO, SAN DIEGO POLICE: Mike, good morning.
My pleasure.
BROOKS: So, you've been planning for a year. We're a couple days away. Tell me what you feel right now is the biggest threat to the Super Bowl.
BJARANO: Well, again, as you mentioned, Mike, we actually started our security planning over a year ago, visiting New Orleans as far as what they were doing and trying to hopefully take some of their successes to San Diego.
Probably the two major concerns involves terrorism. That has to be in the back of our mind post-9/11. San Diego, the way it's positioned with the port, the international border, military, etc., we have to be aware of that. So we've been planning for that absolutely to prevent anything related to terrorism. Then the other major issue involves crowd control. We are expecting about 80,000, maybe 100,000 people visiting San Diego. So the planning started a year ago with a focus on terrorism and crowd control.
BROOKS: But, now, San Diego is the lead law enforcement agency for this event. It has not been officially declared a national security special event at San Diego because of their experience with the 1988 Super Bowl, the 1998 Super Bowl, the 1996 Republican national convention and the biotech conference, with the large demonstrations in 2001. They felt that you all could handle it.
BJARANO: That's correct. We are the lead agency. But keep in mind, we also have over 20 other federal, state and local agencies involved. And that was part of the reason why they allowed us to be the lead agency and it was not designated as a national special security event. Again, we have prior experience -- the '88 and '98 Super Bowl, the Republican national convention in 1996 and then just under two years ago the biotech conference, which drew about a thousand protesters. So, again, I believe a lot, a major, a lot, involves, again, the cooperation, the relationship we have with all these agencies.
BROOKS: Now what role does the FBI and the United States Secret Service play? I mean they probably have prestaged people here ready for anything, weapons of mass destruction, chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological event?
BJARANO: Correct. Again, that's what the FBI brings to the table here as part of our security plan, all the resources, all the technology, all of the support personnel needed for a major event, plus, obviously, the intelligence information they bring to the event. We also have the Secret Service. They're helping us out with the metal detectors, additional personnel, some of the credentials that are being issued.
BROOKS: Right.
BJARANO: So, again, it really is a team effort.
BROOKS: Thank you very much, Chief.
BJARANO: Thank you.
BROOKS: So, Jonathan, the San Diego Police Department, I think the main message the chief wants to get out, and yesterday at a press conference, was come to the Super Bowl, enjoy yourself, but lawlessness will not be tolerated and they will respond quickly if anything else happens. But come here and enjoy yourself.
BJARANO: All right, Mike Brooks, thanks for that update on Operation Game Day.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
