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By Sea By Land By Air Bowl's MVPs Play Safety

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By VALERIE KALFRIN

vkalfrin@tampatrib.com

Published: January 23, 2009

TAMPA - From dogs and Segways to helicopters and armored personnel carriers, law enforcement officials have assembled a smorgasbord of equipment and personnel to protect people attending the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.

Local, state and federal agencies showed off gear Thursday for reporters at the headquarters of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, across North Himes Avenue from Raymond James Stadium.

"We need to make sure everyone knows they'll be safe when they come to this Super Bowl," said Tampa Police Department Maj. Marc Hamlin, who helped organize the contingent.

Tampa police officers displayed an amphibious tank, a tactical hostage-negotiation command vehicle and bomb-squad gear, including a spherical "total containment vessel" in which explosives can detonate safely.

Other agencies involved in the security plan include Tampa Fire Rescue; the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office; the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission; the Coast Guard; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the FBI; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

"It's fun to be part of an event like this," said customs air interdiction agent William Lyon, one of the pilots of an Ecureuil AS-350 helicopter that will patrol the skies.

The customs agency will monitor temporary flight restrictions throughout the week before the game and on game day, Lyon said. "If anybody comes through this airspace, our job is to find out why they're there."

The FBI is providing a mine-resistant armored personnel carrier for the stadium's tactical protection plan. The 30,000-pound transport is the same type of vehicle used by the armed forces overseas, Special Agent Tom Bauer said. "It's also great for being in Florida with hurricanes and flooding; it's waterproof."

The show of force gave Hamlin an opportunity to exhibit a special badge bearing the National Football League's Super Bowl insignia. The NFL gave the police department permission to print commemorative badges for those working the event; Hamlin said he paid $52 for his out of his own pocket.

"It's a memento for me personally of the two years I've been working on the Super Bowl," he said.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800.

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