San Jose Police Prep For Super Bowl 50 Security Detail
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Special operations officers from the San Jose Police Department were going through a last round of intensive training Thursday in preparation for doing their part to keep Super Bowl 50 and its many related events secure.
One such scenario the officers drilled for was active shooter situations that could arise anywhere.
"We have one priority and that's to keep people safe," said San Jose Police Lt. Jason Dwyer
Starting Sunday when the Super Bowl teams arrive, the department's command post will be up and running.
They will monitor nearly every Super Bowl-related event happening in the week leading up to the big game.
"The idea is to keep our chief here and let the lieutenants and the sergeants and officers work out the problems out in the street," explained San Jose Police Lt. Mike Sullivan.
The department expects to investigate up to 20 threats a day. With each different threat, they will have to decide whether to deploy their SWAT team and their bomb sniffing K-9s.
"We're really going to be everywhere; where those teams are going, doing explosive sweeps prior to their arrival. And -- again -- not just the teams, but public safety in general," said San Jose Police Sgt. Dave Anaya.
The department will be out in full force along with patrol and plain clothes officers who will be among crowds at celebrations including at Santana Row and downtown San Jose.
But while they say they're prepared for the worst, they also want everyone to enjoy the south bay.
"We understand that there's a concern out there with events that have happened with San Bernardino and Paris. You know, people are a little edgy, said Dwyer. We understand that we also have to, you know, strike a delicate balance between being too overbearing and creating the appearance of a police state with being ready to respond and being vigilant."
