Super Bowl LVI Safety and Security Overview

Published:

February 4, 2022

Planning Your Game Day Trip

Super Bowl LVI will be hosted at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on 13 February 2022. Los Angeles County, California officials project over 70,000 people will be in attendance, and hundreds of thousands of spectators will flock to Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. SoFi Stadium was built in 2020 and is home to two NFL teams, the L.A. Rams and L.A. Chargers. The indoor-outdoor stadium is the heart of the Hollywood Park entertainment complex, a 298-acre mixed-use development built on the old Hollywood Park Racetrack. The complex features retail and commercial office space, residential units, tree-lined parks, a hotel, and YouTube Theater, an indoor music and performance venue.The City of Inglewood is located in Los Angeles County, approximately twelve miles from Los Angeles City. SoFi Stadium is located three miles from the Los Angeles International Airport.

Parking and Transportation

Parking at the stadium is limited and requires a parking pass; guests should purchase their pass prior to arriving at SoFi. Passes must be downloaded to your smartphone. The parking lots typically open four to five hours before football games.For guests without a parking pass, SoFi Stadium recommends the following transportation options:

City of Inglewood Operated Park and Ride Program: The City of Inglewood offers an off-site park and ride. Visit https://www.iparkandgo.com/ for more details.
Public Transportation: Take the Metro C Line and disembark at Hawthorne/Lennox Station. Metro offers an Express shuttle service from the Hawthorne/Lennox Station to SoFi Stadium on game day. Visit https://www.metro.net/riding/gameday/ for more details.
GTrans: Every Sunday, GTrans runs Line 7X from the Harbor Gateway Transit Center. Park for free and take the $4.00 round-trip ride to SoFi Stadium. Visit http://ridegtrans.com/7x-stadium-express/ for more details.

COVID-19 Considerations

SoFi Stadium requires attendees five years and older to provide proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test. The COVID test must be either a PCR test taken within 48 hours of the event or an antigen test taken within 24 hours. Attendees 18 and older must show photo ID. Masks are required for all ages at all times unless eating or drinking.

Safety and Security Overview

No credible threats against Super Bowl LVI have been reported by the National Football League (NFL) or media outlets; however, as a high-profile event with large crowds, the Super Bowl could be a potential target for criminals and terrorists. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated the Super Bowl as a Special Event Activity Rating (SEAR) Level I—the highest SEAR level—facilitating federal support for and collaboration with state and local law enforcement entities. This designation is reserved for large events that have significant national importance and therefore are more likely to be the target of criminal or terrorist activity. Terrorists have increasingly targeted sporting events and stadiums due to the potential to inflict mass casualties, and terrorist propaganda continues to call for attacks on open-access congested areas.

The DHS issued a bulletin in November 2021 stating that foreign and domestic terrorists continue to pose a threat to the U.S. This threat has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and certain U.S. foreign policy decisions, including the August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, suffered a terrorist attack in 2017 when an Islamist extremist detonated a bomb during an Ariana Grande concert. The attack killed 23 people, including the perpetrator, and injured 1,017.
On 13 November 2015, Islamist extremists carried out a series of coordinated attacks across Paris, killing 130 people and injuring more than 400. One of the attacks included three suicide bombers who detonated their devices outside the Stade de France in Saint-Denis during a France-Germany soccer match.

Numerous local and federal law enforcement agencies are coordinating to ensure the security of the Super Bowl. In addition to DHS, the Inglewood Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and various other agencies are working together for the planning and development of intelligence, cyber, and enforcement strategies. CISA has coordinated with law enforcement agencies in the region to conduct a series of physical and cyber security assessments and tabletop exercises for various threats in advance of the event, including cyber attacks and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).Security screening inside and around SoFi will be heightened for the Super Bowl, and all guests will need to adhere to restricted items policies.For bag policies and the list of prohibited items, visit https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-lvi-security-procedures.

Criminal Activity

The Super Bowl presents opportunities for human trafficking, the sale of counterfeit goods, and other criminal activities. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department expects to see an uptick in human trafficking around the Super Bowl. Los Angeles is especially vulnerable to trafficking due to its large immigrant population and its proximity to airports and the U.S.-Mexico border. Additionally, DHS is working with Los Angeles area authorities to identify and prevent the sale of counterfeit goods related to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is an attractive market for sellers of these illegal goods because of the consumer base for game-related goods created by the large influx of game-related tourism.

In 2021, more than 70 people were arrested during an investigation into sexual exploitation during the week of Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida.
Ahead of the Super Bowl LV game day, DHS seized $44 million worth of counterfeit sports memorabilia.

Both Inglewood and nearby Los Angeles have higher violent crime and property crime rates than the U.S. average. Inglewood reported approximately 66 percent more violent crimes and one percent more property crimes than the 2019 national average. Los Angeles reported nearly double the number of violent crimes and 13 percent more property crimes than the 2019 national average.

Inglewood experienced approximately 612 violent crimes per 100,000 people and approximately 2,129 property crimes per 100,000 people in 2019, the most recent statistics available from the Inglewood Police Department.
Los Angeles City had a rate of 732 violent crimes and 2,383 property crimes per 100,000 people in 2019, according to the most recent statistics available from the FBI's Uniform Crime Report. Los Angeles experienced its highest number of homicides in the past 15 years in 2021.

Emergency Services

The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Emergency Room is the closest Level I trauma center and 24/7 emergency care facility to SoFi Stadium. The hospital is located at 757 Westwood Plaza in Los Angeles, approximately 13 miles (28 minutes with regular traffic via I-405 South) from the stadium.

The trauma center's telephone number is (310) 825-2111.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital is not a Level 1 trauma center but is located closer to the stadium; it is approximately eight miles (21 minutes with regular traffic) from the stadium.

The Inglewood Police Department is the closest police station to SoFi Stadium. The police station is located at 1 W Manchester Boulevard in Inglewood, approximately two miles (six minutes with regular traffic via South Prairie Avenue and East Regent Street) from the stadium.

The station's telephone number is (310) 412-5211.

The City of Inglewood provides mobile emergency alerts via a system called NotifyMe. You can subscribe on the City's website: https://www.cityofinglewood.org/list.aspx

Recommendations

In order to mitigate potential threats while attending Super Bowl LVI, it isrecommended that you take the following steps:

Purchase merchandise only from major retailers or NFL stores in the stadium. Do not purchase merchandise or tickets from street or cash-only vendors.
Leave valuables locked in your hotel room safe rather than bringing them to the game.
Be aware of your surroundings in crowded areas; distractions wearing headphones, looking at your phone, or reading
Keep your wallet, phone, and keys in different pockets to prevent pickpockets from taking in attempt.
Pre-plan your transportation to and from destinations, and familiarize yourself with the routes to avoid getting lost or stuck in congested traffic.
Familiarize yourself with the nearest emergency exits from your seat in the stadium, in case an evacuation is needed.
Subscribe to Inglewood's emergency alerts via NotifyMe.
Do not access sensitive information—such as bank accounts or credit card statements—when connected to unsecured WiFi networks at your hotel or the stadium; information such as passwords and credit card numbers can be intercepted.
Be aware of COVID-19 mask and vaccine policies for all destinations during your trip and take steps to prevent contracting the virus, including wearing a mask regularly washing your hands using hand sanitizer.