Security inside stadium and out for Super Bowl in Atlanta

ATLANTA (AP) — Legions of police and federal agents will be protecting Super Bowl fans inside and outside the Atlanta stadium hosting Super Bowl 53.

Authorities won’t discuss specifics of their security plan. But they say they will safeguard areas beyond the downtown Mercedes-Benz Stadium and make officers visible across the city.

Recent attacks in the U.S. and around the world have taught security experts they must be prepared to defend more than the obvious targets.

Atlanta knows this well. During the Olympic Games in 1996, a man set off a pipe bomb at Centennial Olympic Park. The downtown public space that lacked the high security of the athletic venues and Olympic Village where athletes were staying.

Atlanta police say they’ve spent the past two years preparing and will be ready for any threat or emergency.