LOS ANGELES () — With the World Cup set to bring massive crowds to L.A. this summer, the Los Angeles Police Department says it is preparing one of its largest deployments in decades to secure fan events across the city.
Captain Eric Eppolito, the LAPD operations chief for the FIFA Fan Fest, said the scale of the operation stands out.
“It is probably one of the bigger deployments I’ve seen in my 29 years on the job,” he said.
Although all local World Cup matches will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, police will be heavily focused on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where FIFA will livestream games to tens of thousands of fans.
“It was allotted for up to 40,000 (people) a day, and what will, in essence, be a watch party with some musical acts and stuff down on the field,” Eppolito said.
READ MORE: How fans can still experience World Cup fun in Los Angeles without pricey tickets
To help bring the excitement of the FIFA World Cup to the whole city, organizers are hosting 10 fan zone experiences across the L.A. area. Here’s what you need to know.
The Official FIFA Fan Festival Los Angeles will run for four consecutive days beginning June 11. Additional World Cup-related celebrations, programs and interactive events will take place throughout Los Angeles for 39 days, including at 10 other official fan zones countywide.
LAPD officials say their goal is to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for fans.
“We are fully confident this is going to be a safe event,” Eppolito said.
The department has not released specific details about staffing levels or security measures, but said planning has been underway for months.
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