FBI Sets Up Command Post For Super Bowl 50

SANTA CLARA (CBS SF) — A high-tech command post will serve the efforts of FBI agents, analysts and local law enforcement officers during Super Bowl 50 festivities.

The command post, housed in a non-descript building not far from Levi’s stadium, will be overseeing all parts of the big event as well as the celebrations before and after the game.

FBI Assistant Special Agent In Charge John Lightfoot said, “Our number one mission in these big sporting events is to prevent acts of terrorism.”

Lightfoot is a counter-terrorism expert with the FBI’s San Francisco office and for the past year he has been meticulously planning a security blitz for the big game.

“The FBI is bringing in several hundred people to cover this event. Many of them will be here in our operations center. But even more will be in the field either at the stadium or at the events in San Francisco,” he said.

The FBI is also coordinating with local law enforcement agencies, that will have their own officers in the command post.

On Thursday, the FBI showed off some of the high-tech weapons in its arsenal, including remoted-controlled robots used by its bomb squad.

But agents say the biggest security challenge may not be a terrorist network, but rather an individual acting alone.

FBI Special Agent In Charge David J. Johnson said, “There’s not always advance notice in terms of what these individuals might do. So, soft targets are just tough.”

But from the command post, in the heart of Silicon Valley, the FBI’s team will work to sniff out potential problems in cyberspace or the real world.

“I am confident in the planning. And I am confident that we’ll be able to get through the next ten days without a significant event. I can’t guarantee it, but I am confident,” Johnson said.

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