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Ridge: Superdome 'as safe as we can make it'

Super Bowl XXXVI service workers pass through security Sunday at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
Super Bowl XXXVI service workers pass through security Sunday at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.  


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said Sunday that authorities understand the chances of a terrorist threat or act at Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans, but he said the venue is as safe as it can be, given the cooperation between law enforcement agencies.

"We will always be alert to the possibility of a terrorist event at a high-profile event like the Super Bowl, like the Olympics," Ridge said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Ridge said that at the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics, which begin Friday, "we've got the personnel -- 5,000 people at the Super Bowl, 15,000, 16,000 people at the Olympics -- technology you can see, technology you can't see. And it's as safe as we can make it."

When asked if he would be surprised if there were a terrorist threat or attack, he replied, "I don't think we can ever afford to be surprised anymore."

"I mean, after September 11, the luxury of thinking about the unthinkable -- we have to think that these audacious, sophisticated, dangerous people are out there," Ridge said. "So we shouldn't be surprised at anything they do. And we have to be as prepared as we can to deal with any eventuality."

'It's going to be safe'

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 Prohibited Items
  • Large purses
  • Foam fingers
  • Backpacks
  • Beach balls
  • Fanny packs
  • Camera and binocular cases
  • Horns
  • Umbrellas
  • Strollers
  • Noisemakers
  • Frisbees
  • Containers
  • On Saturday, New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial predicted the Super Bowl would take place without incident, considering precautions.

    "We have made plans to deal with every possible risk," Morial said. "And it's going to be safe. We are not going to have an incident at the Super Bowl." He said about 48 agencies have been involved in planning security for the event.

    "In the post 9-11 environment, it's very important that we recognize that evil people could attack any site, especially if they think they could garner great publicity for it," Morial said.

    The Bush administration granted Super Bowl XXXVI National Security Special Event status, making the Secret Service the lead agency in coordinating security. The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, was given that designation in 1998.

    According to terrorism expert Brian Jenkins, the federal government created the National Security Special Events designation that year to improve the coordination of security at major events. Only about a dozen events have been designated as such to date.

    No cameras, no foam fingers

    Super Bowl fans have been encouraged to show up as much as five hours early for Sunday's game between the St. Louis Rams and the New England Patriots because of tight screening procedures.

    Metal detectors are in place and fans can expect to be patted down as they enter the Louisiana Superdome. Some face-recognition computer technology is expected to be used to screen for known terrorists.

    Hundreds of concrete barriers surround the Superdome, which has more than 70,000 seats, and thousands of security personnel will be on hand. The FBI, the Louisiana National Guard, local police and state troopers are among the law enforcement officers assigned to the event.

    Many items that fans often bring to football games have been banned. Among them are backpacks, camera cases, camcorders, banners, noisemakers and even the foam "No. 1" fingers some fans wear on their hands.

    Jenkins, a senior adviser for the Rand Corp., said he believes the precautions are reasonable.

    "Especially given the most recent reports that in some of these training manuals that we have discovered in Afghanistan it specifically mentions the attractiveness of carrying out terrorist attacks at large public events," he said.

    "That doesn't mean that there is a specific threat to the Super Bowl. I mean, since September 11, we've come through the World Series, the New Year's celebrations, the bowl games without incident," Jenkins said. "And certainly with this kind of security that we see in New Orleans, perhaps the most protected place on the planet is going to be in the Superdome."

    National Football League officials said they hope spectators won't be inconvenienced too much.

    "What we want in this whole thing -- and it's not going to be seamless and it's not going to be easy -- we want the people to come here and have a good time," said Jim Steeg, a senior vice president for the NFL. "We're here for a football game. We've always said that. We always tend to make the Super Bowl greater than what it is, but it's a football game."

    -- CNNSI's Tom Rinaldi contributed to this report.



     
     
     
     



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