More officers with the Oakland Police Department will be deployed throughout the city this weekend as Super Bowl LX draws large crowds to the Bay Area.
While the big game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots will be played Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, OPD officers will patrol major community events and commercial corridors across Oakland.
According to Interim Police Chief James Beere, the department will focus on robbery suppression, stopping sideshows, and sex trafficking enforcement.
Speaking at a press conference at OPD headquarters Tuesday morning, Beere said additional officers will be stationed around Lake Merritt, the Uptown and downtown commercial corridor along Broadway, and the 18th Street and Telegraph Avenue area. OPD’s Special Operations Division will also be deployed citywide, including the ARGUS helicopter, traffic enforcement unit, special weapons and tactics team, and undercover officers.
“Currently, there are no specific threats to the city of Oakland,” he said. “However, we are aware of what’s going on in the country and around the world, and anytime you have a large event, there’s always potential for that.”
OPD will also operate a mobile command post at the NFL’s official Super Bowl watch party and fan zone at the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
So far this year, OPD has arrested 37 men on suspicion of engaging in sex trafficking, either as buyers or exploiters, Beere said. All of the arrests occurred along “the Blade,” a stretch of International Boulevard in East Oakland known for commercial sexual exploitation. Beere noted that 65% of those arrested were from neighboring cities or towns.
Anticipating increased demand for sexually exploited children and adults during Super Bowl weekend, OPD will deploy additional undercover officers.
“The message is, if you come here to celebrate the Super Bowl and engage in parties and festivities, and you think it’s a good idea to drive out to International and pick up a prostitute, just keep in mind that’s probably an undercover police officer,” said the interim chief.
Officers will also patrol the Lake Merritt area, focusing on robbery prevention and illegal all-terrain vehicle and dirt bike activity.
Addressing concerns about OPD’s ongoing staffing shortages and whether there will be enough coverage in Oakland, Beere said his department is using overtime and “maximizing the resources we do have as responsibly as we can.”
Beere reiterated that OPD does not work with federal agents on civil immigration enforcement activity.
“We have no indication or any intelligence that leads us to believe that they’ll be here at Oakland during Super Bowl weekend,” said Beere, referring to officers with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
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