As the College Football Playoff National Championship rolls into South Beach, the atmosphere is electric-and not just because of the game. Tens of thousands of fans are expected to flood the area ahead of Monday night’s showdown, and Miami Beach is gearing up for more than just tailgates and touchdowns.
This isn’t Miami’s first rodeo when it comes to hosting major events, but the scale of this one has local law enforcement pulling out all the stops. The Miami Beach Police Department has been preparing for months, and now their game plan is in full effect.
The goal? Keep fans safe, players secure, and the weekend running as smoothly as a well-executed two-minute drill.
Grant McBride, an Indiana Hoosiers supporter in town for what could be a historic night for his team, said he’s glad to see a strong police presence on the streets. “Makes you feel comfortable,” he said, noting that while he’s never felt unsafe in South Beach, the added visibility is reassuring.
Security is tight across the board. Police escorts are in place as players arrive and depart from the convention center. And while the Hoosiers and their opponent are focused on the Xs and Os, Miami Beach Police are running a game plan of their own-one that’s been months in the making.
“Our team for months now has been preparing for this weekend,” said Public Information Officer Christopher Bess. And it shows. Every officer on the force is working the weekend, and the department's real-time intelligence center is up and running, serving as the nerve center for the city’s security operation.
That center taps into a network of over 1,000 surveillance cameras spread across Miami Beach. It’s a high-tech approach aimed at giving officers on the ground real-time support and ensuring no detail goes unnoticed.
“We are utilizing over 1,000 cameras citywide to ensure our detectives don’t miss anything,” Bess explained. “But also to serve as operational support for the boots on the ground.”
And it doesn’t stop there. The department has deployed a new drone-nicknamed “Eagle One”-from the rooftop of their headquarters. It’s designed to monitor the beach and other high-traffic areas, scanning for anything out of the ordinary.
For locals like Oscar, a lifelong Miami Hurricanes fan, the increased security presence is just another sign of how much the city has evolved when it comes to handling big events. “I think that has changed and significantly,” he said. “Police are doing well to uphold security in the city.”
That sense of security is exactly what the department is aiming for. Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne Jones has made it clear that his vision includes full camera coverage of every public space in the city. It’s a bold goal-but one that aligns with the kind of proactive policing on display this weekend.
As kickoff approaches and fans pour into South Beach, the focus is on football. But behind the scenes, a different kind of team is working just as hard-making sure the only thing fans have to worry about is whether their team can bring home the title.