What are Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Events?

SEAR events are voluntarily submitted special events, which are sent to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Operations Coordination (OPS) by state, local, and federal officials for a risk assessment. Examples of submitted events have included the Super Bowl, Indianapolis 500, and the Kentucky Derby. OPS applies a risk-based methodology to all submitted events and assigns them a SEAR rating. This methodology considers the threat, vulnerability, and consequences for each event.

Submitted events may receive one of the following SEAR ratings:

• Level 1: Significant events with national and/or international importance that require extensive federal interagency support.
• Level 2: Significant events with national and/or international importance that may require some level of federal interagency support.
• Level 3: Events of national and/or international importance that require only limited federal support.
• Level 4: Events with limited national importance that are managed at the state and local levels.
• Level 5: Events that may be nationally recognized but generally have local or state importance.

What role does the federal government play for these events?

The federal government assists and supports state and local officials in filling local capability shortfalls, thus helping to assure a safe and secure event. For past SEAR events, this assistance has included:

• Explosive detection canine teams;
• Cyber risk assessments;
• Venue screening and field intelligence teams; and
• Air security and tactical operations support

The Secretary of Homeland Security appoints a Federal Coordination Team for all SEAR 1 and select SEAR 2 events. The mission of this team is to support local officials and assist them in accessing capabilities that are otherwise unavailable to them.

The Federal Coordination Team, consisting of the Secretary’s personal representatives for the event, liaises and consults with state and local authorities on their event security and response plans; ensures appropriate and coordinated federal support in response to federal-to-federal, state, and local requests for assistance; and maintains situational awareness of the event throughout the planning and execution phases.