Sydney Phoenix/Department of Homeland Security

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas meets employees from several DHS components at the Vehicle Inspection System Area (VACIS) in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 6, 2023, ahead of Super Bowl LVII.

The first iPhones came out shortly before Glendale hosted its first Super Bowl in 2008.

So smartphone tech was a focus for those charged with securing the game when it returned here in 2015.

This year drones are the gadget front-of-mind for authorities.

With Super Bowl events being held across the Valley, local police agencies plan security for those held in their city or venue.

Any resource gaps get filled by a Federal Coordinator, who this year is Scott Brown, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations. Much focus has been on stopping threats that could be carried out with drones.

“Largely, the downtown area of Phoenix and the area surrounding the stadium in Glendale is what we’re calling a ‘No drone zone,’” said Brown.

Brown said there were no drone-specific restrictions during the last Super Bowl here because they weren’t common enough to be considered a security threat.

The Federal Aviation Administration has details on the flight-limits for drones this week.

Department of Homeland Security is keeping in touch and watching for possible threats.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “We have intel analysts deployed to watch the threats stream and ensure that anything of interest is addressed to law enforcement aggressively and quickly.”

Over 800 federal personnel are involved in the security operations.