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Super Bowl security super tight
SAN DIEGO, California (Reuters) -- Authorities put the finishing touches on a $9 million Super Bowl security plan on Saturday as tens of thousands of fans streamed into San Diego for the National Football League championship game. Between 75,000 and 100,000 people are expected in the trendy Gas Lamp area filled with restaurants and bars each day during a weekend that culminates on Sunday when the Oakland Raiders take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Police locked down the stadium until game day after completing security sweeps that included searches by bomb-sniffing dogs, said Dave Cohen, a spokesman for the San Diego Police Department. "You can't get inside, can't get inside the grounds or parking lot without a ticket," Cohen said. "We have got a lot of people who are going to be working in the Gas Lamp area, and we will have lots of people inside the stadium." The security plan is one of the toughest ever. It calls for increased security at the California-Mexico border, a no-fly zone and military air patrols over the stadium and camera surveillance of the area. Security officials have adopted the same measures for the game as they would during a national political convention. Jim Steeg, a National Football League official, said a potential war with Iraq and the September 11, 2001, attacks spurred authorities to lay down the tough measures. He said that spectators coming to the game will have to park in remote areas and take shuttles to the stadium. Ticket-holders also will have to pass through metal detectors and undergo pat-downs by security guards. "All the things we have been planning for the last 12 months are all in play," Steeg said. "People should get there earlier to get through the security." The Immigration and Naturalization Service was screening foreign-born security and transportation workers and has arrested 69 of them as part of a pre-Super Bowl crackdown that has outraged local immigrant community leaders. About half were arrested for having prior criminal convictions. The others had expired visas or were working illegally, officials have said. All face deportation. The arrests came as part of a probe of suspected illegal immigrants who might have had high-level access to San Diego's Qualcomm stadium. Copyright 2003 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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