ARLINGTON, Texas, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- The police force on duty for the Super Bowl in Texas is used to super-size crowds, overseeing 80,000-plus fans at Cowboys Stadium for years, officials say.
"They know what they're doing," NFL security Vice President Milt Ahlerich says of the Arlington (Texas) Police Department.
Ahlerich has worked closely with the Arlington force for three years to prepare for Sunday's game.
"They've been tremendously responsive, and in some cases what they've done has gone beyond what I've seen in other places," he told The Dallas Morning News.
Assistant Chief Will Johnson, overseeing the department's Super Bowl security, says planning and cooperation with other agencies make his 600-plus member force ready for the job.
Former Arlington and Dallas Chief David Kunkle says Arlington's professionalism and preparedness go back more than 20 years to when the department began requiring all officers to have a four-year college degree. The qualification, a rarity among police departments nationwide, remains in effect.
The stadium for Sunday's game -- where the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers will play the NFC champion Green Bay Packers to decide the 2010-season NFL champion -- seats 80,000 people, the fourth- largest NFL stadium by seating capacity.
Including standing room, the capacity is 110,000.
The NBA 2010 All-Star Game drew 108,713 to the domed stadium Feb. 14, making it the highest-attended basketball game in history. Arlington police also worked several World Series games at Rangers Ballpark.
