(The Center Square) – The Seattle police official in charge of security for the six World Cup games in June and July said he is confident that a joint local-federal law enforcement team will be ready to respond to a terrorist attack or other unexpected event.
“And so if we do have an unfortunate incident or an actual terrorist attack or something like that, we’re going to have people who can make decisions on behalf of their agency,” said Seattle Police Captain Daniel Nelson on a Thursday webinar.
Nelson wouldn’t disclose the number of federal agents that will be in Seattle, but said a special mass casualty unit will be at the games and that specialty agents who can shoot down armed drones if necessary.
Nelson said the World Cup in Seattle has been labeled a Level Two threat by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, meaning it is a high-risk event. The Super Bowl in San Francisco in January had been labeled an even higher Level One event, he noted.
He said Seattle needs federal agents to help with the event because the police department doesn’t have adequate resources by itself to deal with potential threats.
Nelson, who has been coordinating the police department’s security efforts for the World Cup for the last three years, didn’t address Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s decision not to turn on security cameras near Lumen Field unless there was a “credible threat.”
Wilson previously announced on March 19 that 26 surveillance cameras near Lumen Field would be installed as planned, but wouldn’t be turned on unless there was a “credible threat” to public safety.
The Chairman of the Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee, Bob Kettle, a former naval intelligence officer, has warned that waiting for a threat before acting doesn’t work.
Citing incidents like the 9/11 attacks and the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bombing, he has contended that terror events often arrive without advance notice.
A Seattle Police Department spokesman, Sergeant Patrick Michaud, said in a statement after the Thursday web event that there has been no change to the policy of keeping the cameras off.
“The new cameras in the Stadium District will not be turned on unless we are given permission by the mayor,” he said.
He referred additional questions to the mayor’s office.
Wilson’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Wilson stated in March she had concerns that the cameras would help federal immigration agents arrest undocumented immigrants, and was putting the surveillance systems on hold until an independent audit.
Nelson said during Thursday’s city of Seattle-sponsored webinar that he had been informed by federal officials that ICE plans no enforcement while the FIFA games are being played between June 15 and July 6.
But Nelson said there are no guarantees.
“It’s very uncertain times, and we can’t control the other Washington, but I mean the best I could do is ask the question, and that’s the answer I got,” he said.
Wilson has marked her first six months in office with repeated announcements that Seattle is a welcoming city to immigrants and that ICE agents are not welcome.
She said that city officials and police won’t cooperate with federal immigrant agents in arresting undocumented persons.
Thursday’s web event was no exception, with officials of the city office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs appearing on the webcast.
They assured viewers that city officials and police would not work with ICE.
But Nelson said that if there were ICE raids, the police department could not interfere with federal actions.
He said the only things police could do were to observe and document the raids.
Nelson also addressed the issue of World Cup protests, saying the city expected frequent events during the games, particularly on June 26, when Egypt plays Iran.
The games coincide with Pride weekend in Seattle.
Iran outlaws homosexuality, which can be subject to the death penalty, and it is often prosecuted in Egypt under morality laws, though it is not explicitly against the law.
Nelson said the police department expected a pro-gay rights rally in addition to protests in favor of and against Iran.
Nelson said the police department will work with protesters to ensure they can peacefully assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights while making sure the games are not disrupted.
He said specific protest areas will be designated.
