ATLANTA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will have a significant security presence for the FIFA World Cup coming to Atlanta in June. The agency’s primary goal is keeping the games and Georgians safe.
Director Chris Hosey states that the GBI has a goal bigger than any that will be scored on a soccer field.
Security for the major international event is challenging and important.
“It’s a challenge just because of the size of the event,” he told Channel 2’s Mark Winne.
The GBI plans to assign 90-plus personnel to the FIFA World Cup. “That’s almost a quarter of the investigative division,” Hosey said. This includes undercover assets.
The GBI will coordinate closely with the Atlanta Police Department and the FBI on security matters.
The GBI’s Special Operations Unit, tactical teams and bomb techs will be involved in security operations.
Hosey also mentioned agents will be working with the Atlanta Police Department and the FBI on unmanned aerial surveillance and counter-unmanned aerial surveillance.
The Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center, known as GISAC, will play a critical role in intelligence gathering for the state. Analysts will be assigned to the Joint Operations Center, State Operations Center and other smaller operation centers in the metro area, as well as remote locations.
Hosey said the GBI is responsible for intelligence.
“Anything with domestic terrorism, counter-terrorism typically begins with an intel component,” Hosey said.
Georgia authorities, including local, state and federal agencies, can draw on decades of experience from securing major events. This includes the 1996 Summer Olympics, the G-8 Summit at Sea Island and the 1988 Democratic National Convention.
Regarding the 1988 convention, Hosey recalled, “I was on a security detail for the then Speaker of the House, Jim Wright.”
He added that agencies learn from past experiences, citing Super Bowls and College Football National Championships as other examples.
The GBI operates a watch desk. “It is a 24-7 operation with analysts here, monitoring activity,” Hosey said.
This watch desk “will play a tremendously big role during the FIFA games,” he said.
The public can use See Something, Send Something app, available for Android and iPhone users to send tips, including photos or video, anonymously about suspicious activities related to terrorism or other criminal concerns, which the watch desk can then route for investigation.
A phone tipline is also available at 1-800-597-TIPS(8477). The public can also submit tips online.
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