EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — During the World Cup, a network of command centers and control rooms across New York and New Jersey will be in operation, with FIFA officials, law enforcement, and transit planners closely monitoring activities.
These centers, located from Miami to Trenton, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, will host numerous public officials tasked with addressing any issues that arise during the eight matches scheduled at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The sheer number of command centers involved is noteworthy. The New Jersey State Police, New York Police Department, various transit and transportation agencies across New York and New Jersey, Amtrak, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey each have their own designated areas. Some of these are permanent facilities equipped with large screens for video and data monitoring, while others are temporary setups specific to the tournament. Notably, there is an operations center at the entrance of MetLife Stadium used by the host committee and others, and FIFA operates an additional center in Miami.
Each center has a unique role, with some staffed by officials from different agencies to ensure effective coordination. Among these, the command center in Trenton plays a pivotal role during the World Cup.
“At the end of the day, though, they all report in to the larger command center, which is the ACC, the area command center, which looks at the overall region, the impacts to the region for any events, the asset allocation at different sites,” stated Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz, the deputy superintendent of the New Jersey State Police and World Cup incident commander.
Prior to the first match on Saturday, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill visited officials at an operations center situated on an elevated platform in the MetLife Stadium parking lot. After the Brazil and Morocco match ended in a draw and night fell, one of her top transit advisers continued to oversee the dwindling crowds as they boarded buses and trains.
Additionally, another command center will be temporarily established later in the summer. Over the July 4 weekend, when President Donald Trump is anticipated to be in town for a large parade of warships and a military airshow, a popup command center will be set up by the federal government at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan.
