Inside the Information Network Helping Secure the FIFA World Cup

SAN FRANCISCO - Before public safety officials can tackle a large-scale event or crisis together, they often have to solve a different problem first.

Someone forgot a password. Someone else can't find a link. Another agency is using a different system. Someone is trying to reach tech support.

"Every time I've gone to an emergency operations center during a critical incident, no one can log in," Mike Sena said. "That's what you spend the first hour doing - getting people logged in."

Sena is a County of San Mateo employee who serves on special assignment as executive director of the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center, a central hub for gathering, assessing and distributing public safety intelligence. The center works with local, state, federal and international agencies and serves as our region's Fusion Center.

"The problem is that we have traditionally looked at problems and said, 'All right, let's build something new,'" Sena said in a recent interview. He recalled thinking, "I need to find something that everyone already has on their phone."

Rather than asking agencies to learn another platform, Sena and his team leveraged technology many agencies already use: Microsoft Teams. It includes secure mapping, operational dashboards and information-sharing tools designed for law enforcement and emergency management.

More than 4,000 public safety officials in the United States, Canada and Mexico now use the platform to coordinate security related to the FIFA World Cup.

The platform allows users to submit suspicious activity, share documents and photos, map incidents and communicate directly with the agencies that need the information without searching for cell numbers, tracking down email addresses or waiting for returned phone calls.

Standing in his office on the 14th floor of San Francisco's Philip Burton Federal Building, Sena pointed to a large touchscreen display showing live information shared among agencies in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Users include local police departments, emergency management agencies, federal partners and international counterparts. Not everyone sees the same information: access is based on each user's role, allowing agencies to collaborate while protecting sensitive information.

"Things get lost when we're doing one-on-one conversations," Sena said. "Giving people that team chat capability is kind of the thing that's been missing forever."

The goal, Sena said, isn't just sharing one incident. It's allowing agencies separated by hundreds of miles or international borders to recognize similar activity and determine whether those incidents are connected.

That coordination has been on display throughout the Bay Area's World Cup matches.

Wednesday's 2-0 United States win over Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the final World Cup game at Levi's Stadium, the last of six matches in all that drew fans who traveled through San Francisco International Airport and across San Mateo County.

"Thanks to the incredible work of our deputies, the collaboration of our public safety partners and our invaluable partnership with NCRIC, thousands of people safely traveled through San Mateo County to and from these world-class events using our transit corridor," Sheriff Ken Binder said.

"With no FIFA-related incidents reported in San Mateo County, this is a testament to the strength, coordination and preparedness of our region," Binder said.

Although the World Cup represents one of the system's largest deployments, Sena said the concept has already proven valuable in other situations.

He pointed to human trafficking investigations, where analysts and investigators from multiple jurisdictions often need to quickly share information as a case develops. The same approach has also supported Super Bowl security, investigations involving outlaw motorcycle gangs, cyber incidents and election security.

San Mateo County is now adapting the same system to help fire, law enforcement, public health and public works agencies share information during both emergencies and routine operations.

"It isn't about reinventing the wheel," Sena said. "We're just putting the tread on the wheel so it works better."

Marshall Wilson
County Executive's Office
Communications Officer
[email protected]