FOXBORO, Mass. – Thousands of Soccer fans from around the world have gathered at stadiums throughout North America to view the world's best soccer players compete in the FIFA World Cup.
In Foxboro, Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Gallant from the 972 Military Police Company, along with more than 50 other MPs from the Massachusetts National Guard, has experienced the international soccer fever firsthand.
“It's been a very good experience so far. We've had a wide variety of countries here. All of the fans, the spectators, have been very respectful. They all appreciate what we're doing here. and we've taken countless photos with them, which is very good for us,” said Gallant.
The Mass Guard MPs are part of a larger security presence at the stadium, including police from Foxboro, Attleboro, and numerous towns across the Commonwealth, Massachusetts State Police, and federal authorities, including the FBI.
“Foxboro PD's been awesome. They've given us the guidelines and the schedule, exactly which points they need manned. We assist with whatever state, local law enforcement, and federal agencies that are here need. It's just a big family of law enforcement here, and we're all here to help each other out,” said Gallant.
Mass guardsmen aren’t just on the ground during games; they are in Foxboro around the clock during the World Cup.
For the MPs, Soldiers are manning security points around the stadium 24 hours a day. On game days, MPs can be seen around the stadium before and after the game.
MPs aren’t the only Mass. Guardmen assisting with the World Cup in Foxboro. Members of the 1st Weapons of Mass Destruction, Civil Support Team, have also been on the ground in and around the stadium, assisting civil authorities.
The CST provides support to local authorities for many pre-planned events, such as professional football games and the Boston Marathon.
For these events, the CST usually operates in a smaller Joint Hazard Assessment Team, where a few members partner with local agencies to fill capability gaps, conducting sweeps for hazardous materials, responding to suspicious packages, and enabling a full-scale response in the event that something occurs. For an event of this size, the CST provides additional manning, including members of CSTs from other states near Massachusetts.
Units in the Massachusetts National Guard support events in the Commonwealth every year, but the World Cup raised the bar for large scale events.
“This is by far the biggest internationally ... this is a big mission for our unit, and we're proud to be the ones to be able to provide that extra security," said Gallant.