Glendale sends crew to New York to observe Super Bowl security

PHOENIX — Seven public-safety employees from Glendale have made their way to New York for the Super Bowl, but it’s not to watch the game.

Instead, they’ll be watching how New York City handles security for the event. The trip is part of Glendale’s preparation for hosting the 2015 game.

“They will be meeting with their counterparts and visiting the emergency operations centers and the joint operations centers,” said Glendale Police Sgt. Jay O’Neil. “They’ll be talking about logistics and event locations. On game day, they’ll be attending some of the pre-game briefings and operations, that kind of thing.”

The group, which included four officers, arrived Wednesday, and as soon as they got there, one of them posted on Twitter about the weather.

“She arrived in New Jersey and it was 21 degrees, so a little bit different than our climate, but I’m sure she’s prepared,” O’Neil said.

The group is there to watch and learn.

“They need to gain firsthand knowledge, information and experience about any new security protocols or best practices that have come about,” O’Neil said.

He said that situations have changed since Glendale hosted the Super Bowl in 2008.

“We’ve had the Boston Marathon bombings since then,” said O’Neil. “There are always changes to public safety and these events, and we need to make sure that we stay on top of those changes.”

The officers will take what they learn in New York and incorporate it into the security planning for next year’s game in Glendale. Earlier this month, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said the city was sending a similar team to New York this week.