The NYPD will have a laser focus on the pop-up Super Bowl theme park set up in the heart of Midtown this week — flooding the area with nearly as many cops as on New Year’s Eve, law-enforcement sources said.
About 400,000 people are expected to flock to the metropolitan area for the big game, and Super Bowl Boulevard — a 13-block stretch along Broadway featuring gridiron attractions — is sure to be a huge draw.
Although there are not expected to be restrictions on backpacks along the boulevard, cops will be using radiation-detecting helicopters, K-9 teams, and elite, heavily armed Hercules squads to monitor the crowds, sources said.
Random searches of bags will be performed, police said.
There also will be random searches of straphangers, sources said.
There will be extra uniformed and plainclothes cops, NFL security and 200 surveillance cameras in the area.
The NYPD’s elite bomb squad, counterterrorism cops and officers trained in dealing with hazardous materials will have a strong presence in Midtown, too.
In addition, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, will be joining the security pack.
A team of cops has been specially assigned to handle security concerns at Midtown hotels, which are also being cautioned through leaflets about human trafficking.
Cops are talking to bar managers about preventing thieves from grabbing unattended bags, too, as well warning them to be on the lookout for hookers.
To set up, run and disassemble Super Bowl Boulevard, the stretch will be closed through Sunday, 9 a.m. to midnight.
The city will also shut down 41st Street from Sixth to Eighth avenues from 9 a.m. to midnight.
Outside those blocks, all cross streets between 34th and 47th are expected to remain open.
For security purposes, Midtown businesses on streets in the boulevard will be able to place their trash outside only between midnight and 9 a.m. All garbage has to be put in clear plastic bags.
Any deliveries between Wednesday and Saturday also will have to made between midnight and 11 a.m. Businesses are being told to stock up on essentials.
Straphangers can expect normal service on 15 lines servicing the boulevard stretch. Additional trains and shuttles will be running Saturday, the MTA said.
Most track work will be suspended to make it easier for people to move around the city.
There will also be extra Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road trains starting Wednesday.
The NYPD vice squad was already making game day-related prostitution collars — and expects more.
“Any hooker that can walk will be in Manhattan,” said a law-enforcement source.
But johns aren’t likely to be solicited at Midtown hotels, sources said. Most prostitution during the Super Bowl is expected to be arranged online through sites like Craigslist.