FBI officials train to provide security for Super Bowl 50

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ByDavid Louie KGO logo
Friday, January 29, 2016
FBI training to provide security for Super Bowl 50
With a million people expected in the Bay Area for Super Bowl 50 events, behind-the-scenes resources are preparing to respond to anything ranging from an active shooter situation to a suspicious package.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- With a million people expected in the Bay Area for Super Bowl 50 events, behind-the-scenes resources are preparing to respond to any emergency.

The FBI let ABC7 News into its top-secret command center where the actual game will be played.

FBI officials said their mission is to identify and prevent any act of terrorism or to respond if there is one. They're going to be working with a variety of agencies on a variety of security issues, ranging from medical emergencies to suspicious packages.

San Jose police is one of dozens of agencies that has been training for Super Bowl 50 to prepare for an active shooter, which the FBI considers one of its top concerns. "Our number one concern in that regard is the one offender, that one individual who has an idea bouncing around his head that he wants to take a gun or a knife or homemade bomb and wake up that day and launch their attack," FBI Asst. Special Agent in Charge Jon Lightfoot said.

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Multiple agencies will work out of a joint operation center the FBI has set up in a secret location near Levi's Stadium. It's is filled with routers, computers and screens and will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by local, state and federal agencies to analyze intelligence data and respond to incidents.

San Jose's elite merge team officers recognize tactics will be different because of the large crowds at public events as well as the game. "We're not just concerned with accurately firing at a target. We also have to be concerned with all the other people who are out there. Not only that, but the people standing behind the target, so the officers really have to factor those things in when they decide to use deadly force," San Jose Police Lt. Jason Dwyer said.

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The FBI said 80 bomb technicians will be on duty with access to mobile command post vehicles and remote-controlled robots with thermal cameras, range finders and chemical sensors.

The FBI said 90 explosives dogs will be on duty. San Jose's K-9 unit is trained to check suspicious packages.

The FBI said there are no known threats so far and believes all partners are ready. "It's a significant target and we've dedicated the time, the effort, the preparation and the resources to make it a safe event," FBI Special Agent in Charge David Johnson said.

WATCH VIDEO: Bay Area first responders hold emergency drill in San Francisco Bay

Click here for full coverage of Super Bowl 50, and click here to download the ABC7/Waze app to help navigate around the Super Bowl City construction.

READ MORE: Report slams SFFD ambulances for persistent slow response times

PHOTOS: Super Bowl 50 preps underway around the Bay Area