Ensuring public safety tops HSI’s mission at Super Bowl LV
TAMPA, Fla. – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) will join federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to provide essential public safety efforts in and around the Tampa Bay area for Super Bowl LV. HSI personnel will be on the front lines of the interagency effort to mitigate the threat posed by criminal organizations seeking to exploit and profit from criminal activity through the identification and seizure of counterfeit goods and enhanced efforts to combat human trafficking.
“I am proud of the efforts of HSI Tampa, the National Intellectual Property Rights Center and our public and private sector partners, who are working hard to make sure this is a safe event for everyone, despite the global pandemic,” said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director Patrick J. Lechleitner. “Large-scale events like the Super Bowl provide opportunities for transnational criminal organizations to commit and profit from illicit activity. As in years past, effective teamwork will be the key to success on and off the field. For HSI, the size and scope of the task will again be met with personnel who are prepared to successfully execute the agency’s game plan and safeguard the city from national security and public safety threats during Super Bowl LV.”
Through Operation Team Player, the IPR Center, HSI, and its partners crack down on the illegal importation of counterfeit sports apparel and merchandise. Throughout the year, warehouses, stores, flea markets, online marketplaces and street vendors selling counterfeit and game-related sportswear and tickets are identified throughout the country. The IPR Center leads coordinated efforts 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.
As a global leader in the investigation of criminal organizations that commit and facilitate human trafficking, HSI also works with its public and private sector counterparts to identify and target human traffickers. Leading up to and during the Super Bowl, HSI operations identify and rescue potential trafficking victims and work to prevent illicit activity from ever happening.
Follow the teams on the ground with daily operational updates during Super Bowl LV on the @ICEgov and @HSITampa Twitter feeds.
Learn more about the HSI mission
HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 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 operates from 220 offices throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries.
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