DALLAS 鈥� With two weeks to go before the first , local and federal authorities in charge of ensuring safety and security for the say they鈥檙e ready to go after more than two years of planning.
鈥淔rom the very beginning, safety and security has been our top priority,鈥� Monica Paul, president of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, told reporters Monday during a news conference on the region鈥檚 safety and security plans.
Local police agencies said they鈥檒l have a higher police presence on the streets, at the matches and at Dallas鈥� Fair Park, and around places where visitors and are expected to stay and . Undercover officers will be on the lookout for human and drug trafficking. Police stressed they have enough resources in play to ensure people who call 911 to report emergencies will receive prompt response.
Authorities also warned private pilots and drone operators to stay on top of during the month and half of World Cup action in North Texas.
Authorities said they took lessons from other major sporting events in North Texas, including, most recently, the held in March.
Dallas Police Department
鈥淵ou will definitely see a higher presence of officers on the streets, you will see us in uniform, you will see us at different intersections, and, yes, we will be enforcing motor traffic,鈥� Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e speeding, running red lights, we will be enforcing that, because that鈥檚 going to be part of keeping everyone safe here.鈥�
The big police presence will extend to the fan festival, he said.
And the department will 鈥淥ur drones will be in the air, flying around trying to make sure we keep everything safe and secure,鈥� Comeaux said.
At the at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas, 鈥渢he security has already started,鈥� Comeaux said. 鈥淚t will continue on throughout the entire event. It is our priority to make sure that that area remains totally safe.鈥�
Comeaux also 鈥渓et the secret out the bag鈥� on Dallas Police Department鈥檚 effort to combat human trafficking during the matches. 鈥淲e will be working undercover in this area,鈥� he said, noting such activity typically picks up during major sporting events. 鈥淎lso in the drug space. We will be working undercover activities in the drug space.鈥�
Comeaux said the department has discussed the police approach with prosecutors.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e doing bad illegal things during this time, we will enforce every single law possible,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you do something wrong, you are going to jail.鈥�
Arlington Police Department
Officers from more than 30 outside agencies 鈥渨ill be coming into the Entertainment District to assist us on match days,鈥� Al Jones, the Arlington police chief, told reporters.
The city鈥檚 local and federal partnerships 鈥渨ill allow us to secure the Entertainment District, and we will continue to maintain normal police staff to respond to emergencies,鈥� Jones said.
鈥淚 really want to drive this point home. If you need help and you call 911 during World Cup, Arlington police officers will be available to respond. This event will not impact the service that our residents should expect and receive.鈥�
Jones said the city would not disclose how many uniformed officers agencies would deploy in the city. 鈥淏ut I can tell you it鈥檚 going to be larger than what you would expect when you come to the Cowboys games at the stadium,鈥� he said.
Arlington will have 鈥渟everal officers working in plain clothes鈥� on match days, 鈥渁s well as visible officers in strategic locations,鈥� Jones said.
The police also will use technology such as drones and street cameras 鈥渢o help us monitor crowd activity,鈥� he said.
Some aspects of traffic management and security will be different than what Dallas Cowboys fans are aware of around the stadium on game days, Jones said.
Street closures will include portions of AT&T Way and Cowboys Way, and several parking lots also will be closed to the general public, he said.
Only the east and west plaza entrances will be open to fans, and organizers are encouraging fans to check their tickets and enter through the most appropriate entry.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want them to have a west ticket and try to get to the east gate,鈥� Jones told the Report. 鈥淭hat just clogs up everything and makes it difficult for them to get to their seats.鈥�
Arlington transportation
Fans who don鈥檛 want to drive into Arlington will be able to use expanded service to get to the games. Organizers have chartered 125 buses that will run between and a temporary bus hub near the stadium. The hub will be only for buses running from CentrePort.
Trinity Railway Express also will run at increased frequencies.
鈥淭he visitors coming are more reliant on public transit than they are on cars,鈥� Caroline Vandergriff, a spokesperson for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, told the Report.
If organizers learn fans have overwhelmed the rail service, chartered buses will be dispatched to the rail platforms to ferry fans directly to the stadium, Vandergriff said.
Organizers have also secured a parking lot north of the Esports Stadium Arlington as the drop-off and pick-up.
Jones said authorities prefer that fans use the Trinity Railway rail-and-bus connection.
鈥淭hat鈥檒l actually alleviate some of the traffic,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 the way to go.鈥�
Staying hydrated
Fire departments and EMS services will put up temporary stations around the stadium and other FIFA sites to help fans stay hydrated and out of the hospital.
In Arlington, the fire and EMS services will locate the cooling stations inside and outside the secured perimeter around the stadium. Fans will need a ticket to enter the perimeter.
The cooling stations will be air-conditioned and staffed by physicians, nurses and paramedics, Arlington Fire Chief Bret Stidham said.
鈥淲e鈥檒l have a whole slew of extra ambulances just in case, standing by,鈥� Stidham told the Report. 鈥淲e鈥檒l also have a mobile hospital set up, like we did for the Grand Prix. 鈥淲hat we鈥檙e trying to do is keep people out of the hospital system as much as we can.鈥�
Among the fans he鈥檚 most concerned for are the ones who choose to walk the half mile from the bus hub to the stadium, Stidham said.
鈥淎 lot of the folks who are coming in are not used to our Texas summers,鈥� he said.
Dallas鈥� fire department also will put up hydration stations at venues in that city, Fire Chief Justin Ball told reporters.
No-fly zone
The Federal Aviation Administration announced last week that all aircraft, including drones, are barred on match days from flying within a 3 nautical-mile radius of the Arlington stadium and up to 3,000 feet above ground level.
The FAA also barred aircraft from flying within a 1 nautical-mile radius of the fan festival and up to 1,000 feet above ground. 鈥淎dditional restrictions will apply for team hotels, base camps, training facilities,鈥� Joe Rothrock, FBI special agent in charge of the Dallas field office, said.
Violation of FAA temporary flight restrictions can result in a $100,000 fine, jail time and seizure of the drone, Rothrock said.
鈥淏efore you consider flying a drone, I strongly encourage you to check for active flight restrictions using an FAA-approved airspace awareness tool,鈥� he said.
Immigration enforcement?
After a reporter asked whether federal immigration authorities planned immigration enforcement in North Texas around the matches, Christina Foley, the U.S. Secret Service agent in charge of the Dallas field office and federal coordinator of the FIFA World Cup Dallas, said:
鈥淭he idea of making a fun environment for the fans is the whole approach. FIFA wants it to be a fantastic event for the fans from all over the world. If someone is here and gone through the legal process to be here to see the games, there鈥檚 nothing 鈥� to be worried about when it comes to any additional expectation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a matter of knowing the process,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat process has been out for a very long time as far as getting visas or the required paperwork to come in. As long as that process is followed and people are here through the legal means, then there鈥檚 nothing extra to worry about when they come to the stadium and fan fest.鈥�
Scott Nishimura is senior editor for local government accountability and a Fort Worth City Hall reporter at the Report. Reach him at scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org.
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