Thousand police officers deployed on streets of Indianapolis as massive Super Bowl security operation swings into gear

  • 150,000 Patriots and Giants fans expected to converge on city
  • Tom Brady arrives and says he's already organised a victory party
  • Special teams sweeping Lucas Oil Stadium

By Wil Longbottom

Last updated at 12:54 PM on 30th January 2012


A massive security operation involving 1,000 police officers has been launched in Indianapolis as the city's first Super Bowl rolls into town this week.

Super Bowl fever has already hit the city and 150,000 NFL fans are expected to descend on downtown Indianapolis in one of the most high-security events in the U.S.

The city has invested millions of dollars to keep spectators safe, including most bizarrely the installation of 150 new manhole covers after a series of underground explosions.

Fever: Police officers watch the crowd in Super Bowl village, Indianapolis, ahead of the big game on Sunday

Fever: Police officers watch the crowd in Super Bowl village, Indianapolis, ahead of the big game on Sunday

Security: A guard stands at the side of a concert in the heart of Indianapolis as crowds continue to gather ahead of the Super Bowl

Security: A guard stands at the side of a concert in the heart of Indianapolis as crowds continue to gather ahead of the Super Bowl

Officers at the event have been equipped with smartphones and other electronic hand-held devices to allow them to feed photos and videos to a new state-of-the-art operations centre on the city's east side.

Police cruisers will be driven around a 44-block area in the heart of the city as backup, and officers from the FBI will also be scanning the crowd for signs of pickpocketing, prostitution or other trouble.

The Super Bowl venue, Lucas Oil Stadium, will even be swept for nuclear threats as authorities leave nothing to chance.