Region 9 Brings Winning Team to Super Bowl LVI

No matter which side of the scrimmage line they were on, all fans enjoyed a winning Super Bowl LVI game day on Feb. 13. That was in no small part thanks to the role CISA Region 9 staff played in securing one of the most watched sporting events of the year.

The Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals played a tight, edge-of-your seat game at SoFi Stadium – which is also the Rams’ regular-season home field - in Inglewood, California with the Rams earning the championship title by beating the Bengals, 23-20. While all eyes – including 112 million spectators viewing from home - were on the gridiron, a dozen Region 9 protective security advisors, cybersecurity advisors, emergency communications coordinators and a chemical security supervisor vigilantly monitored potential danger and risks to critical infrastructure in and around the stadium from five command posts. During the week leading up to the main show, the team also supported Super Bowl Experience, the fan activity event at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

SoFi Stadium hosted Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13, 2022.	(L-R): Protective Security Advisors (PSA) Edgar Castor, Sonny Copeland and James Cruz; Cybersecurity Advisor Mario Garcia; and PSA Brian Keith at SoFi Stadium.	(L-R): Protective Security Advisors Brian Keith, Jesse Rangle, Sonny Copeland and Gonzalo Cordova at SoFi Stadium.

The Region 9 team used a number of tools, including Geospatial Information Infrastructure and CISA Gateway, to monitor activity at and around the events. The CISA Gateway serves as the single interface through which DHS partners can access a large range of integrated infrastructure protection tools and information to conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments and risk analysis. They also used a virtual map, which included major venues, major critical infrastructure including energy and transportation, and traffic, to provide a common operational picture and situational awareness for partners. The cybersecurity team collaborated and shared information with the FBI’s Cyber Team, Inglewood Police Department, Emergency Management, Fusion Center, the California Governor’s Office and private sector stakeholders. The emergency communications team supported emergency communications and served as a liaison for private communications companies supporting the event. 

Super Bowl Sunday was the culmination of more than three years of preparation for the Region 9 team. Utilizing its regional networks, the team provided local partners an expansive suite of protective measures, which hardened physical, cyber and chemical security, and emergency interoperability. These efforts included physical and cyber security assessments of the newly constructed $5 billion, 70,000-seat stadium; tabletop exercises; and bombing prevention workshops, among others.

CISA Region 9 personnel kept a watchful eye for potential risks during Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.	Protective Security Advisor Gonzalo Cordova monitors activity during Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.	CISA Region 9 personnel joined 500 fellow DHS employees to support Super Bowl LVI.

In Fall 2020, Protective Security Advisor (PSA) Brian Keith performed physical security assessments of SoFi Stadium using the Infrastructure Survey Tool (IST) and the Infrastructure Visualization Platform (IVP) in preparation for Super Bowl LVI. Over the past six months, PSAs also performed physical security assessments of key electrical substations, transportation nodes, water treatment plants, and communications hubs that support SoFi Stadium and the surrounding Super Bowl venues using the IST and IVP tools. In February 2021, PSA Keith and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineer Research and Development Center built a 3D model of the stadium which was used to create a blast effects analysis to mitigate the threat of improvised explosive devices.

On the cyber side, Chief of Cybersecurity Joe Oregon conducted a cyber tabletop exercise with partners and coordinated with federal partners, the NFL, and SoFi Stadium to provide a threat and resilience brief for cyber concerns in advance of the event. He also provided various cyber assessments to SoFi Stadium in support of cyber hygiene and infrastructure resilience efforts.

The Region 9 team also identified and documented high-risk chemicals in regulated facilities located near the Super Bowl and affiliated venues through its Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program and ensured they are meeting security standards.

Region 9 Emergency Communications Coordinator Tom Lawless and his co-workers coordinated with local, state and federal agencies to ensure the use of interoperable radio equipment, developed local and federal communications plans, and made cache/loaner radios available to visiting state and federal agencies.

“Our CISA Region 9 personnel prepared for more than three years to help ensure fans’ safety during the two weeks leading up to, and throughout, game day,” said Region 9 Director David Rosado. “Working alongside our fellow DHS components and other federal, state and local partners, our team’s hard work meant that everyone was able to enjoy a fun and safe experience.  This serves as a testament to the outstanding professionalism, integration, and collaboration exhibited by the CISA team!”