Super Bowl security: Plan ahead for game day, come early, wear warm clothes

NFL security chief Cathy Lanier told Super Bowl LII fans Wednesday to take light-rail transit, arrive early, dress warm, be vigilant and have fun at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.

"Please, please, please do not come late," Lanier said at a news conference with federal and local security officials.

Lanier repeated the timeliness plea multiple times, saying U.S. Bank Stadium will open at 1 p.m. and there will be entertainment and activities for fans up until the start of the game at 5:30 p.m. "We don't want everybody showing up at 4," she said.

Minnesota will be baring its sharp winter fangs on Sunday with temperatures and windchills predicted to be well below zero. Lanier said fans will have to be outside briefly to get into the building. Leave no skin uncovered, wear layers and warm, comfortable footwear, she said. "Once you get inside [the stadium], it's a warm, toasty 70-ish," she said.

On the dais with her in a conference room at the downtown Minneapolis Hilton were Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Homeland Security special agent Alex Khu, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, Minneapolis Police Cmdr. Scott Gerlicher and Richard Thornton, the FBI's Minneapolis special agent in charge.

Lanier encouraged fans to buy tickets for the round-trip light-rail ride from the Mall of America. Ticket holders will go through security there, then board a train that takes them right into the stadium's security perimeter. "This is by far the easiest and warmest way to get there," she said.

In addition to Lanier's practical advice, others explained some of the work they've been doing for the past two years to prepare.

The Super Bowl is a Level 1 National Security Special Event because it's a high-profile target. Because of that, Nielsen said 1,700 federal officials have been involved in preparations, performing more than 200 security threat assessment studies and 52 training sessions from active shooter training to cyber concerns.

But she added, "We don't have any credible or specific threat" intelligence. She and others asked fans to play an active role in security, calling or texting 911 for emergencies when they're inside the stadium.

Gerlicher said authorities are "ready for anything that may come our way; we hope it's just cold weather."

Lanier described herself as "extremely comfortable" with the security plans, saying Minnesotans are "the nicest people" who are "very polite and very friendly."

As for the crowds during the Super Bowl Live concerts on Nicollet Mall, Arradondo said the department is making adjustments constantly.

Super Bowl Host Committee spokeswoman Andrea Mokros said, "We have adjusted each night to improve the flow and allow people to move from one end to the other more easily; however most of this is capacity. [We're] glad to have such amazing turnout, but it means not everyone can get up close.

Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747 Twitter: @rochelleolson