Thursday marked one month until Super Bowl 51 in Houston and law enforcement is ready when it comes to keeping visitors and locals alike safe during the festivities.
“No stone will be left undone,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner during a news conference.
Officials from the local, state, and federal levels said security continues to be reviewed and refined.
“Everything that we need to do, we have done and will do,” said Turner.
Don’t expect Houston to look like New York City during last weekend’s New Year’s Eve celebration when sand-filled dump trucks protected the perimeter of Times Square.
Although Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo refused to share specifics.
“I’m not going to talk about the specifics of the security measures because, quite frankly, if somebody wants to try something, we don’t need to tell them exactly what we’re going to do,” said Acevedo.
Football fan Jerry Rosete, who’s hosting family members during the Super Bowl, said he was concerned about safety but is confident that police are prepared.
“I’ve been in the Super Bowl, the last one, and the World Series,” said Rosete. “Security was pretty good. You can only do so much, unfortunately.”
Various venues will be monitored by uniformed and undercover officers during the game and the festivities. Officials are calling it a “Tier One” event. That means the highest level of protection from HPD’s federal partners.
The FBI said there were currently no credible threats concerning Super Bowl 51.
“We don’t see any shortcomings in our plan and don’t see any reason to fear anything,” said Chief Acevedo.
The plan has a big public component as well: Officials said if you see something, say something.
They also encouraged people to leave as much as possible at home if you come to events.