Police: Hold onto your stuff during Super Bowl week

As police make final downtown preparations for the week of the Super Bowl, they are asking the public to take special care of their belongings when venturing downtown.

It is no secret that pickpockets and purse snatchers will be following the Super Bowl crowd.

Swinging a purse loosely from your shoulder or dropping your wallet into your back pocket could make you an easy target.

Personal safety experts recommend women carry their purses diagonally across their chest, preferably under their coats.


Men are encouraged to carry their wallets in their front pockets.

Meantime, downtown Indianapolis is about to experience a level of security not seen since the last presidential visit.

"You are going to be under more scrutiny by undercover officers, by uniformed personnel, by cameras that you can see and cameras that you can't see, you're more likely to get nabbed there than anywhere else," said Ivy Tech's Dr. Richard Weinblatt, a national law enforcement expert.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will start Super Bowl week with several hundred officers in the downtown area.  By that Thursday, the number of officers will increase to about 800.

IMPD is already working in concert with the FBI, Secret Service and Homeland Security.

At least 75 downtown security cameras will be feeding live video of the crowds.

There will also be helicopters and planes training cameras on the thousands of visiting fans.

Still, police said their heavy presence should not take the place of individuals watching out for themselves and their property.