Title game security

The city of Phoenix will deploy more security personnel for the college football championship than for last year’s Super Bowl as federal authorities warn about the risk of terror attacks at crowded public events.

The title game follows recent attacks in San Bernardino and Paris that have raised alarm and led the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to warn about the possibility of homegrown extremists targeting big events.

“We’ve seen so many things recently, Paris, for example. We are going to have a lot of bodies out there looking for that kind of thing,” said Shelly Jamison, a Phoenix Fire Department spokeswoman who is helping lead security coordination at the College Football Playoff title game. “We are being very proactive.”

Officials anticipate tens of thousands of visitors to flock to concerts and other events this weekend in downtown Phoenix leading up to Monday’s game be- tween Clemson and Alabama at University of Phoenix Stadium in suburban Glendale.

Phoenix officials are using much of the same security framework from the Super Bowl, which was held in Arizona last year. But federal officials will play a smaller role, leaving the city to coordinate the operation. Thousands of security personnel at the college game will outnumber those at the NFL championship, but police wouldn’t give specifics.

The college game’s security effort involves more than 100 entities, including law enforcement, fire officials and the National Guard, said Sgt. Trent Crump, a Phoenix police spokesman.