PORT EVERGLADES, Fla., - As part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program (SPP), the Delaware National Guard and its partners from Trinidad & Tobago had the unique opportunity to exchange ideas regarding security measures at one of the world's most visible sporting events - the Super Bowl.
During Super Bowl week, members of the partnership visited southern Florida to observe security measures here at the operations centers involved in security during Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium.
The goal was to exchange ideas involved with major event planning and disaster management and response.
"This was not a one-way street," said Brig. Gen. Hugh Broomall, the state's deputy adjutant general. "It was a reciprocal visit and truly an exchange of ideas as Trinidad & Tobago recently hosted two world class events - Summit of the Americas, which President Barack Obama attended, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
"I believe they brought as much information to the table as they took home."
Although the visit included three separate events, they were all tied together, said Lt. Col. Tim Hoyle, Delaware's SPP director.
"Trinidad & Tobago has a commercial port but is working to expand its cruise ship business," he said. "After a visit to Delaware's Port of Wilmington a few years ago, it was a natural progression for our partnership to visit a bigger and busier port."
Port Everglades is the busiest cruise ship port in the world and last year had more than 40,000 passengers.
Its also the sixth largest cargo port in the world, said Sgt. Forrest Santalucia, who heads the compliance division of the Port Everglades security program for the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
The Broward Sheriff's Office works in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard to provide both dockside and waterside security. Dual-use ports have unique challenges and require a delicate balance between abiding by all applicable laws and security measures but still moving cargo and passengers, he said.
"Right after September 11, 2001 people understood, but now many view security as an inconvenience," said Santalucia. "We understand but will not be complacent."
The second event included a tour of Super Bowl security operations. Security starts in the stadium, is monitored just outside in the Incident Management Team Village, and coordinated further away at the Joint Operations Center.
It requires a cast of thousands and includes months of planning, hundreds of security cameras, aircraft surveillance, ground transportation, the latest satellite communications, and constant coordination between numerous federal, state and local agencies.
Gary Gould, the superintendent of the Trinidad & Tobago Police Service, was instrumental in coordinating security measures for the Summit of Americas and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting events held in Trinidad & Tobago last year.
"Events like the Super Bowl have hundreds of thousands of attendees and visitors, but the international media multiplies the attention and makes it such a valuable target [for terrorists]," he said.
Gould also noted while the equipment and technology he saw during the exchange was different and in some cases more advanced, the planning sequence for all events was similar.
"In Trinidad & Tobago, we use the same management principles of planning, table top exercises, and trial runs to prepare for events," he said. "What I was most interested in was interagency coordination in the United States versus our technique of security by sector."
Gould said he plans to use his new-found contacts with the Miami-Dade Police Department to explore that concept for future events.
Of course one of the highlights of the visit was the chance to visit inside Sun Life Stadium, the home of this year's Super Bowl. The group had photographs taken on the field, get a behind the scenes tour of the stadium and sit in the owner's suite.
The exchange culminated with a visit to the Miami-Dade Police Fusion Center, which took raw information and intelligence, research and corroborate with numerous resources to make a usable multi-agent product and then share that information.
Miami-Dade Police Maj. Michael Ronczkowski said the Fusion Center is a true partnership as it links municipalities, counties, regions, states and countries.
This is made possible in great part by the creation of a Virtual Fusion Center. It is a web-based system in which information can be updated by and shared instantly with all agencies involved.
Sub Lt. Claudio Smith of the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard was interested in the Virtual Fusion Center because he is currently working on a similar project at home.
"This visit was particularly valuable to me," he said. "A Virtual Fusion Center works perfectly when you are sharing information between the two islands of Trinidad & Tobago."
Future plans for Delaware's State Partnership Program include a visit to Trinidad & Tobago to further discuss security management and continue to build relationships between the partners.
"Last year I was at the Summit and this year at the Super Bowl," said Gould. "No matter what the event or where it is located in the world - success is all about relationships."