When the SWAT team helped determine this morning that a package dumped in the sewer just north of Cowboys Stadium was trash, it was just an example of the security that has been set in place for Super Bowl XLV.
Festivities will kick off in Arlington, Texas, next week and officials are prepared. The NFL will spend between $5 million and $6 million on security for the event, according to Scott Goldstein of the Dallas Morning News. There are low-flying planes, robots and bomb-sniffing dogs in place, and more.
"They got this down to a fine science,” said Arlington police Assistant Chief James Hawthorne.
Everything has been covered in advance because as NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, planning has been a three-year process for the event.
“So we've engaged multiple agencies on the federal, state and local level to come up with a plan that continues to evolve,” McCarthy said.
Some operations have already begun, according to the report. For instance, the Environmantal Protection Agency flew a plan low over the area this week to take base-line readings for air quality. That can be used in the event of a chemical attack.
More than 200 additional FBI agents will be in place and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also involved. Area officials got a test run with the NBA All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium last year. This will be much larger in scope.
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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune