Homeland Security Investigations Arizona supports public safety at Super Bowl LVII

PHOENIX – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Phoenix is implementing a year-long effort to provide essential public safety measures in and around the area for Super Bowl LVII. As a qualifying National Special Security Event, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas designated HSI Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown as the lead federal coordinator. Local and federal partners including the Center for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Protective Service, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and United States Secret Service are actively addressing threats to the public, NFL, and greater Phoenix area leading up to and throughout game day on Feb. 12.

As the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles gear up for the big game, HSI and its partners are in the final stages of implementing plans to ensure Super Bowl LVII is a safe and secure event. For HSI Arizona, these preparations started over a year ago, when the office first began working alongside its government partners and the NFL to support operations and counterfeit merchandise investigations.

HSI is a critical player in the U.S. Government’s fight to prevent intellectual property (IP) crime and actively investigates the illicit importation, manufacture, and sale of counterfeit goods and pirated content that violates the copyrights and trademarks of rights holders. This effort is spearheaded by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), including multiple federal and international partners.

Operation Team Player, a central component of HSI’s IP enforcement operations, is an ongoing effort developed by the IPR Center to crack down on the illegal importation of counterfeit sports apparel and merchandise. Throughout the year, personnel supporting Operation Team Player have worked to identify warehouses, stores, open air markets, online marketplaces, and vendors selling counterfeit game-related sportswear throughout the country. The IPR Center leads coordinated efforts with many of the United States’ major sporting leagues to target contraband that negatively impacts the economy, restricts the competitiveness of U.S. products in the global market, and poses health and safety hazards to the public.

For Super Bowl and year-round updates follow @HSIArizona and @ICEgov.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of DHS, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.