How the secret service, 2,000 cops and years of intense planning kept Taylor Swift and Donald Trump safe at the Super Bowl

The morning after the night before, some staff at Louis Armstrong airport were decked out in Eagles green. They wore custom-made football jerseys that read: ‘MSY KREWE’ and the No 59. 

It was chaos as thousands of visitors rushed out of New Orleans but, on Monday, security crews were in high spirits: after all of the fears and and all of the planning, Super Bowl LIX had passed without major catastrophe.

Donald Trump had been and gone. Taylor Swift had jetted in. So had Kendrick Lamar and Lionel Messi and Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts and around 100,000 fans. All less than 50 days after New Orleans was devastated by a deadly terrorist attack.

It took a ‘herculean’ effort to secure the city – on the ground, on the water, online and in the air. An ‘incredibly robust’ plan that involved well over 2,000 law enforcement agents. 

Planning had begun two years ago; the first building blocks of the security perimeter were put in place less than a week after the January 1 attack. All for seven days leading up to Super Bowl Sunday.

Among those deployed? The Secret Service, SWAT teams, snipers, sniffer dogs, the FBI and ‘weapons of mass destruction coordinators’. Swift’s previous visit during her ‘Eras Tour’ served as a useful dry run; the New Year’s attack was – in the words of one security expert – a ‘wake-up call’.

But even then, the authorities were unable to prevent tragedy. Last Wednesday, Adan Manzano – a sports reporter – was found dead in his hotel near Louis Armstrong airport. 

Danette Colbert, who has been dubbed the ‘Bourbon Street Hustler’ and was seen entering his hotel in chilling security footage, has been arrested over the incident.

Then, on gameday, a man hired as a ‘participant’ to work on the halftime show unfurled a dual Sudanese-Palestinian flag during the halftime show.

It was an embarrassment for the authorities but – in many ways – a lucky escape. A reminder that, no matter the police and security presence, something can always go very, very wrong. 

Last Monday morning, as the world began to arrive in New Orleans, the NFL’s head of security Cathy Lanier addressed the media.

‘Today, we stand here before you as a unified team,’ she said as the authorities outlined their exhaustive security measures. ‘(We are) confident in our strategy (and) prepared to adapt if needed.’

Twenty four hours later, Trump confirmed that he would become the first sitting president to ever attend a Super Bowl. What is it they say about best-laid plans?

Suddenly, an already monumental operation was ratcheted up another few notches.  Suddenly, they had to protect a Commander-in-Chief who – only months earlier – had come within inches of assassination. 

New Orleans was already on edge. ‘Stay safe’ was the typical parting message from taxi drivers and the French Quarter, where thousands of fans headed for a week-long party, was a surreal sight.

At one entrance to Bourbon Street, there was a haunting memorial to the 14 people killed, when Shamsud-Din Jabbar rammed his truck into revelers celebrating New Year’s Eve.

Then, on virtually every corner, the military had set up barricades featuring armed soldiers and armored vehicles and blinding floodlights. It was unlike anything the area had ever seen. But it didn’t stop people enjoying themselves.

Bill Belichick and his girlfriend Jordon Hudson popped into Pat O’Brien’s, a popular Irish bar, following the NFL Honors ceremony. As the couple were later driven home, they hit a roadblock.

A sniffer dog did a lap of the car before the side street to their hotel was finally opened. No one was allowed to bypass security – no matter how many Super Bowl rings they have won.

‘The one thing that is constant is evil, but an implementation of that evil changes consistently,’ Colonel Robert Hodges of the Louisiana State Police warned.

So the authorities guarded against everything, all to ensure – in the words of Lanier – ‘that the safest place to be this weekend will be… under the security umbrella that this team has put together.’

More than two dozen federal agencies played their part in what one security expert called a ‘herculean task’. ‘We live in a very unsettling world,’ they told DailyMail.com. ‘Terrorism comes in all shapes and sizes, so do active shooters and lone wolves.’ So how can you legislate against one bad actor?

They closed roads around the Superdome. They scoured for the air for drones. They put in more security cameras. They launched an anti-human trafficking campaign. They patrolled the Mississippi river.

They monitored the internet for threats of ‘cyber attack from a criminal threat actor or hostile nation state’. They positioned soldiers outside the Chiefs’ hotel. They leaned on international partners and they urged fans to report anything suspicious.

They deployed bomb technicians and WMD coordinators and SWAT teams. They brought in more than 450 FBI personnel, 350 National Guard troops and 700 people from the Department of Homeland Security. 

The aim? To ensure fans saw ‘a sea of blue’ and ‘to make sure that we can go forward and celebrate this great game… together in a way that reflects the unity of the United States of America.’ 

By gameday, this sea of blue was dotted with black. There was nothing inconspicuous about the Secret Service. Agents had their affiliation printed across their black uniforms as they manned security gates, where smiling volunteers had been stationed earlier in the week. 

Fans were herded up ramps, from which soldiers were visible on roofs surrounding the stadium. Some had guns set up on tripods, trained on the main roads overlooking the Superdome. Flight restrictions were put in place for drones and aircrafts within 30 nautical miles of the stadium.

Inside the security perimeter, however, a party had broken out by lunchtime. Fans flocked to concerts and tailgates and ‘bistreaux’. In one spot, quaint tables and chairs were set up for al fresco dining.

As kickoff approached, however, one corner of the Superdome turned frenetic. Up on the fourth floor, where the rich and famous and very fortunate were filtering into their suites, security officers attempted to bring some order.

Black curtains were erected across the walkways around Trump’s suite. Earlier in the day, the authorities restricted air space and then cleared the roads as the president rushed from Florida to New Orleans to catch the game.

Later, traffic was occasionally stopped between the suites, too. There was little fanfare as Donald Trump Jr. wandered one of the stadium corridors but everyone had to stop as Brett Baier of Fox News was led towards the president’s box. 

At one point, the black curtains were pulled across – blocking anyone’s view of, and path to, Trump’s suite. More blinds were hung around the door to the box, while security agents added yet another layer of protection. Speaker Mike Johnson was among those let behind the curtain.  

Around the same time – with kickoff fast approaching, Swift was led past the commotion towards her own suite. 

Her security detail were powerless a few minutes later, when the pop star appeared on the big screen and loud boos rung out.

But questions will be asked about how the protestor was allowed to slip through the net. It was a reminder that holes can be found in even the best-laid plans. Thankfully his stunt did not turn into something much, much worse.