Super Bowl Taps Tech for Security; AI, Facial Recognition, No DronesSuper Bowl Taps Tech for Security; AI, Facial Recognition, No Drones

As the city of New Orleans prepares to host Super Bowl LIX, just weeks after 14 people were killed in a New Year’s Day attack, officials are ramping up security ahead of the big event. 

The Department of Homeland Security has classified the Super Bowl as a Level 1 Special Event, one that requires extensive federal interagency support.

From facial recognition to AI, the NFL, law enforcement officials and the secretary of Homeland Security outlined security plans for the Super Bowl, the 11th New Orleans has hosted.

Cathy Lanier, NFL chief security officer, said there will be heightened security measures and that the NFL has worked with federal, state and local authorities to reassess security plans following the January attack.

More than 100,000 visitors are expected in New Orleans for the game and Lanier said they should expect to see more visible law enforcement and they should feel comfortable. 

State police will have an enhanced security zone around both the French Quarter and Caesars Superdome from Feb. 5-10.

"I think the most important thing is, very clear and unequivocal, saying without hesitation that we are really confident in our security plan going into the Super Bowl," she said.

“The NFL was unshaken standing with the city of New Orleans after Jan. 1 and the first comment made to me from the NFL was that they wanted to make sure that the soul and the spirit of NO was unshaken as well,” said New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said at a press conference earlier this week. 

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Real-Time Risk Detection

Superdome owner ASM Global has teamed with AI company Dataminr to monitor potential security threats in real time. The Dataminr real-time AI platform scans more than a million public data sources, including social media, in 150 languages to spot events, risks and threats as they happen.

Drone Free Skies

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has designated the Superdome a “No Drone Zone” for Super Bowl Sunday. Drones are also prohibited from the downtown area in the days leading up to the game. 

Drone operators entering restricted areas could face confiscation, fines up to $75,000 and criminal prosecution. 

Keeping Travelers Safe

At the airport, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is enhancing security efficiency to ensure the safety of the expected record-breaking number of travelers. 

The agency has installed automated screening lanes with computed tomography scanners at the airport checkpoint to enhance security efficiency. Additionally, it added 100 additional officers from national deployment teams to facilitate the screening. The TSA also activated dozens of K9 explosives detection teams in New Orleans from across the country. 

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“TSA is ready for Super Bowl travelers as we will have staff, innovative technology and a plan for addressing the higher travel volumes at MSY on Monday and Tuesday,” said Arden Hudson, TSA’s federal security director for Louisiana.  “We are also contributing resources toward enhanced security in transportation hubs in New Orleans. We appreciate the strategic partnerships across TSA as well as with local, state and other federal agencies to bolster security before, during and after the Super Bowl.”

Multi-Layered Security

The TSA will have multiple layers of seen and unseen security at the game and in the days leading up to it.  

A coordination center inside MSY (Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport) will serve as the “unseen nerve center” for all local TSA operations. Operating 24/7, it will include three shifts of officers maintaining “situational awareness of possible security threats by gathering, analyzing and evaluating data inside and outside of the area.”

Law enforcement/federal air marshals will be deployed to all critical transportation venues throughout the city providing law enforcement and security support. 

Facial Recognition

In 2024 the NFL expanded its use of facial recognition across all 32 team stadiums to verify the ID of everyone from staff to vendors, media, officials and security before being admitted to secure spaces within each stadium. 

The NFL said at the start of the season it would not be used at ticketed gates and fan entrances.

Detecting Explosives With Canines

The TSA’s trained explosive detection canine teams will join police departments across the country as another layer of security, working multiple venues throughout downtown Orleans and the Superdome. 

“TSA-certified canine teams are single-purpose trained only to detect explosive materials,” according to the TSA. “The teams play a vital role in the overall security posture of the transportation modes to which they are deployed. TSA’s teams will be among the security assets working to clear the Caesars Superdome, garages and perimeter before the spectators can enter the area on Sunday.”