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Security to be tight for college football championship game

 
Tom Foy, FDLE Tampa special agent in charge, said “no suspicious activity is too small.”
Tom Foy, FDLE Tampa special agent in charge, said “no suspicious activity is too small.”
Published Dec. 21, 2016

TAMPA — Tampa police officers, dressed head to toe in black tactical gear, swarmed the stands at Raymond James Stadium on Tuesday while Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies and Tampa Fire Rescue medics darted in and out of hallways.

Most members of the Tactical Response Team know the stadium's labyrinthine layout like the back of their hand, having patrolled numerous football games there, including the 2009 Super Bowl, said Marc Hamlin, an assistant chief with the Tampa Police Department.

But the College Football Playoff Championship game, coming to Tampa on Jan. 9, could be the biggest event ever at the stadium, Hamlin said. That's why local public safety agencies have been practicing and planning for more than a year, and won't stop until the concerts, parties and fan events kick off on Jan. 6.

"The world has changed since we hosted the last Republican National Convention and the Super Bowl,'' Hamlin said. "So we are using lessons learned from incidents that have occurred around the world and we're just getting better at it."

To eventgoers, security at the title game and accompanying events downtown shouldn't seem any different from at a Buccaneers game or during Gasparilla, Hamlin said. But it will be more robust.

Any bags brought into the stadium larger than hand-size must be clear, just like at a Bucs game. And security checks, including metal detectors, will be standard for playoff events outside the stadium.

Downtown could see crowds comparable to those during the 2012 Republican National Convention, said Rob Higgins, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.

Numbers from previous college football championships show that Tampa can expect about 60,000 booked hotel nights throughout the weekend and 45,000 to 50,000 fans at events like the game-day tailgate. About 6,000 seats will be added near the end zones to boost capacity at Raymond James Stadium to about 72,000.

One of the biggest challenges could be traffic around the stadium and downtown. Visitors are encouraged to park outside the downtown area, which has only about 22,000 total parking spaces, and use alternative methods such as the free Downtowner shuttles to get around.

A series of free concerts at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park from Jan. 6 to 8, featuring Eric Paslay, Flo Rida and Usher, could cause road closures if the crowds become too large, Hamlin said.

No specific threats have been made toward the game, said Tom Foy, Florida Department of Law Enforcement special agent in charge. Still, local agencies are bringing in the FBI and bomb-sniffing dogs. An apparent terrorist attack Monday in Berlin provided a somber reminder of the dangers posed by hosting such a large-scale event, Foy said.

"We're asking, 'If you see something, let us know,' '' he said. "No suspicious activity is too small."

Contact Anastasia Dawson at adawson@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3377. Follow @adawsonwrites.