LAS VEGAS — A team from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Maritime Office (CBP AMO) will be patrolling the skies over Las Vegas when the Chiefs and 49ers play Sunday.
CBS News Bay Area Correspondent Max Darrow joins CBP AMO Air Interdiction Officer Daniel Pinkerton and Air Enforcement Officer Sandra Pinkerton to better understand their role in Super Bowl security. I got on the plane.
“We're here to increase situational awareness by downlinking video from a very unique perspective that only a platform like this has,” Daniel said. “What Sandra is doing here – she has a flyer in TV mode and she's watching the stadium. She can send it to the incident command center.”
They are on the lookout for unexpected events or on the lookout for specific areas to be directed to. The team will be excited before, during and after the game.
“This world is so dynamic and the threats are so diverse that it's hard to categorize what we're looking for,” Daniel said.
Security for the Super Bowl requires extensive interagency teamwork at the local, state, and federal levels, which is why CBP, part of the Department of Homeland Security, is involved.
The FAA will issue Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) for much of Sunday's Super Bowl, centered around Allegiant Stadium, which has a 10-nautical-mile inner core.
If someone were to fly into the zone, Sandra said the team would respond.
“It will provoke a response from our nation's Black Hawk helicopters and the Department of Defense,” she said. “They are going to intercept the aircraft and guide it to land at the airport.”
Providing security for special events like the Super Bowl is part of CBP's mission and something both agents are proud to do.
“Events like this are part of the fabric of America, and we can all come together and celebrate together and help do it safely,” Daniel said. “We are very proud to be part of a team that will do its best to earn that opportunity.”
“I feel good going to bed at night knowing that we did our best to keep the American people safe,” Sandra said.
