How much is SuperBowl security costing, and who's paying for it?

[Rabrrrrrr]

Wathcing the news now, and they have, of course, the police; but also the military and coast guard being used for protection. They've put high-res cameras all over the city in the area, with a command center watching every one of them. Looks like thousands of people, and shitloads of expensive equipment and radiation sensors and other things will be working security in the days before and of the Super Bowl.

It is my suspicion that neither the NFL nor the TV network are footing a dime for it, leaving Detroit taxpayers and US taxpayers to pay for the whole thing while they reep tens of millions in pure profit.

[ohiosmith]

1. $13.26. You'll be invoiced.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. That's probably about right - $13 per citizen,

comes out to just about $4 billion, which is probably just about right.

[Lady President]

3. A lot is Detroit's burden

In theory, the tax revenue that hotels, restaurants, and shops will contribute to the city will more than pay for the added police costs. Does it happen? I really don't know.

On a related note, city governments in swing areas were absolutely drained by the 2004 elections. I live in Columbus and from the conventions to the election someone requiring a police presence visited almost everyday. The cost of police overtime completely drained the city's slush fund and has led to job cuts. This, on top of the fact that we have arguably the worst economy in the nation. I just hope a struggling city, like Detroit, manages to make a profit.