By James Tabafunda
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
King County Undersheriff Jeff Flohr and Emergency Management Director Brendan McCluskey told ethnic and multilingual journalists that the county has spent more than two-and-a-half years preparing to keep the public safe during the FIFA World Cup 2026, which brings six matches to Seattle Stadium between June 15 and July 6.
The news conference and safety briefing closed a five-hour King County Emergency Operations Center (KCEOC) Open House for Ethnic and Multilingual Media held on May 27 at the KCEOC in Renton—bringing together journalists and community media representatives from across the region’s diverse language communities.
200 additional deputies on match days
Flohr, the second-in-command at the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) with more than 30 years of law enforcement experience, said the department will dramatically expand its field presence on game days throughout a defined core service area that includes the city of SeaTac, the city of Shoreline, Metro Transit, Sound Transit light rail, and King County International Airport-Boeing Field.
“When you talk about game days in that core service area, we will staff up by over an additional 200 deputies,” he said. “As you’re at the outer stations, you’re going to say, ‘Oh, look, there’s officers there.’ And the closer you get to the stadium zone, the more officers you’re going to see.”
He said all additional officers will be there to help fans with directions and services. “Their presence makes sure everything stays safe,” Flohr said.
Drone security: $12 million federal grant funds counter-drone technology
One of the most significant security developments Flohr disclosed was the deployment of 50 KCSO drones and new counter-drone technology funded by nearly $12 million in federal grants. Working under FBI supervision—because drone airspace falls under federal jurisdiction—the KCSO, Washington State Patrol, Seattle Police Department, and Spokane Sheriff’s Office can now electronically detect, intercept, and ground unauthorized drones.
“We’ve been planning for two-and-a-half years for this event,” Flohr said. “We’ve all watched overseas, including Ukraine—drones have been weaponized. And these are not advanced drones. These are simple drones that you can put something on. We now have the technology to be able to detect dangerous drones. And if we have to, we can deal with those drones by either using electronics or other methods to take them over or land them safely.”
He said the equipment will remain after the tournament ends. “When the local organizing committee and FIFA got here, they said, ‘We’re going to leave it better than we found it,’” Flohr said. “To me, this is evidence that they are taking care of our communities, getting us the training we need, and when they’re gone, we still have the equipment and training to keep us safe for other events.”
No drones, no driving
Flohr warned fans that unauthorized drone flights near Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field) will trigger an immediate law enforcement response. “When there is a temporary flight restriction, you have immediately broken the law, which gives us and the federal government the right to contact you and figure out what’s going on, why you’re doing it,” he said.
On vehicle traffic, Flohr was direct: avoid driving near Seattle Center and the stadium district entirely. “I think driving is going to be difficult. If you can, get on the light rail over on the east side. I wouldn’t drive,” he said. “I would take public transportation because here’s the thing: you’ve got to pay to park. And Lumen Field’s parking lots are taken over by FIFA for other things. The T-Mobile parking garage right next door is not available for the public during these events.”
He also warned that the regional footprint of the event extends well beyond the stadium. The Seattle Mariners will host the Boston Red Sox at T-Mobile Park—capacity 48,000—during overlapping dates, and Seattle is in the middle of cruise season.
ICE and CBP
In a question-and-answer session that drew pointed questions from ethnic media journalists, Flohr addressed community concerns about the potential presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at World Cup venues.
“We have not worked with ICE at all on this,” he said. “We have no information from our federal partners that ICE is even coming to the stadiums.” He added that KCSO commanders will make contact with any unscheduled agency that appears at a transit station or KCSO jurisdiction. “We’re not going to obstruct ICE,” he said, “but we will make contact and say, ‘What’s the end goal?’”
On U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), he clarified that CBP’s role is strictly counter-drone. “They are not doing immigration enforcement,” Flohr said. “Their role is counter-drone because they have a robust counter-drone capability at the southern border that they use for battling the cartels. And for the sheriff’s office, if an event turned into an immigration enforcement event, we have to leave. We will keep people safe—and when I say people, I mean everybody.”
McCluskey echoed Flohr’s position. “In all of our contact with federal partners, we know who is going to be here,” he said. “We know who the partners are as part of the team that’s supporting World Cup emergency operations, safety, security, and transportation.”
Emergency operations center to activate
McCluskey told ethnic media partners that King County has dedicated significant resources to World Cup operations and that the KCEOC will activate for every match day.
“King County is working closely with state, local, tribal, and federal partners to ensure a safe, welcoming, and accessible World Cup experience for residents, visitors, and the region’s culturally diverse communities,” he said. He described a unified, multi-agency command structure encompassing more than 40 agencies, including local police and fire departments, state emergency management, tribal governments, and regional transit agencies.
McCluskey said the county estimates that 700,000 to 750,000 people will travel to the Seattle region across the length of the tournament—with roughly 140,000 people inside and immediately outside the stadium on any given match day. “I think a safe bet would be to double the amount inside the stadium for people that will be in the area, outside the stadium, in the fan zones, and other locations,” he said.
Misinformation and the Joint Information Center (JIC)
Public Information Officer Sheri Badger of the King County Office of Emergency Management said the KCEOC will be staffed by 80 to 90 people on match days and 10 to 20 people on non-match days—and that the county will serve as the Central JIC for all emergency communications outside Seattle city limits.
“We don’t want one city saying ‘evacuate north’ and the other city saying ‘evacuate south,’” she said. “We all want to be saying the same information.” Badger added the JIC is preparing pre-translated talking points in 15 languages covering 23 potential hazards—ranging from extreme heat and earthquakes to active shooter situations, illegal drugs including fentanyl, civil disturbances, and dignitary visits.
She urged residents and fans to sign up for the ALERT King County Emergency Notification Service, warning that misinformation can spread rapidly. In a simulated July 1 extreme heat event with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, social media posts falsely claiming that emergency cooling shelters would require Real ID and would not open in diverse neighborhoods spread quickly before official corrections could reach communities. “We do a lot of media monitoring because we can get a sense of what questions people are asking, and then we can distill and verify that information and send it back out as press releases, blog posts, or social media posts,” Badger said.
KCEOC Open House convenes trusted community messengers
Sergio Enciso Garcia, KCSO language access program manager, led the multilingual mini-workshop, which gave ethnic media partners hands-on experience developing communications campaigns around three World Cup public safety messages: the No Drone Zone, the “If You See Something, Say Something” terrorism awareness campaign, and the ALERT King County Emergency Notification Service. “How can you help us ensure that communication campaigns that we need to push out in an emergency—that we have what we need and that you have what you need to disseminate those messages to the communities that you serve in an accurate, timely manner?” Garcia said.
Mary Rabourn, King County Water and Land Resources communications specialist, and Lily Barrett, communications coordinator at the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks Water and Land Resources Division, also presented. Rabourn cited the county’s collaboration with ethnic media during the COVID-19 pandemic as a model for World Cup preparedness. “When we get together like this, it’s always an opportunity,” she said. “You are the community consultants.” Eric O’Brien, King County Office of Emergency Management training program manager, and Katie Emanuel, King County 9-1-1 Center operations manager, led facility tours.
For more information on the ALERT King County Emergency Notification Service, go to kingcounty.gov/en/dept/executive-services/health-safety/safety-injury-prevention/emergency-preparedness/alert-king-county. For more information about the King County Emergency News blog, go to kcemergency.com. For more information on FIFA World Cup 2026 in Seattle, go to www.seattlefwc26.org.
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