By Isabelle Manders
Marietta Daily Journal, Ga.
MARIETTA, Ga. — From drones to cooling stations, Cobb County plans to use over $12 million in recently awarded federal grant funds to prepare for one of the world’s largest sporting events and ensure the safety of residents and visitors.
Within a few months, Cobb is expected to see an influx of international visitors, large crowds and high-profile events as it hosts two team base camps — at the Atlanta United FC Training Grounds in Marietta and Fifth Third Stadium at Kennesaw State University — along with fan engagement activities tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Between June 15 and July 15 , Atlanta will host eight matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium — five group stage matches, a round of 32 match, a round of 16 match and a semifinal match.
Last month, the Cobb Board of Commissioners accepted a $10.67 million FIFA Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) grant from the Department of Homeland Security aimed at strengthening Cobb Police’s ability to detect, track, identify and mitigate unauthorized drone activity during and beyond the World Cup.
Cobb Emergency Management Agency Director Cassie Mazloom announced Tuesday her agency has also been notified it will receive $1.7 million through the FIFA World Cup Grant Program, bringing the total federal investment to more than $12 million.
Those funds are expected to support broader public safety and emergency preparedness efforts, including staffing and equipment.
“Primarily this will be for any overtime costs that occur in regards to maintaining security and safety around the training sites we have here in Cobb County, as well as any support we give at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on match days,” Mazloom said during a press conference.
Possible equipment under consideration includes an X-ray system for the county’s bomb squad, mounted patrol equipment for the Cobb Sheriff’s Office and cooling stations to support both first responders and members of the public.
Mazloom noted the timeline for spending her agency’s grant is shorter than the police department’s, which will shape what can ultimately be purchased.
Drone systems
Lt. Justin Bullis, commander of Cobb Police’s Homeland Security unit, said the $10.67 million police grant will fund a comprehensive drone detection and mitigation program over an initial five-year period, covering equipment, training, maintenance and licensing without requiring additional county funds.
“Beyond that point, we’ll have to reassess whether we continue to fund these programs, but for the initial setup, as well as the protecting the airways beyond the World Cup, that’s going to be paid for through this grant,” Bullis said.
The approved projects include fixed-site drone detection antennas, portable detection systems equipped with radio frequency receivers, infrared and electro-optical cameras, radar panels and mitigation technologies, Bullis shared.
Another key component is the expansion of Cobb’s “Drone as First Responder” program, which the county has been piloting in recent months.
Cobb Police plan to deploy multiple drones at major World Cup -related sites to assist officers during emergencies, providing real-time aerial video similar to what helicopters have historically offered.
The funding will also establish multiple support infrastructure upgrades to the county’s real-time crime center, where much of the systems will be operated, Bullis said.
The grant program was established through the SAFER SKIES Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law in 2025.
“The initial push to deploy these systems is designed to better protect the World Cup events, but the overarching program goes well beyond just this tournament. (It) is... designed to create aerial security as the use of drones grows,” Bullis said.
Before the law’s passage, local law enforcement agencies could detect drones and identify operators but had limited authority to intervene.
Under the new framework, trained personnel operating under federal authority will be able to take control of potentially hostile drones and safely bring them down.
Several Cobb officers are participating in the regional FBI -led counter-drone task force alongside agencies including Atlanta police, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia State Patrol .
“There’s going to be four officers that just completed an FBI training academy, myself being one of them, and we are going to operate together to augment drone security for all of the events, to include at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and at Centennial Olympic Park,” Bullis said.
Antennas placed throughout the county will be able to detect drone signals, override their frequency and guide them safely to the ground.
Bullis said specific sensor locations are still being finalized.
“We don’t want to give away the exact locations for operational security, but every place that we’re looking at to put these up would be protected,” he said. “They wouldn’t be immediately accessible to the public, so we would be able to monitor those and make sure that they weren’t tampered with.”
When asked whether the department will be able to take down drones operated by artificial intelligence rather than a person on the ground, Bullis said, “We’re still investigating systems like that.”
The department can only buy systems it is approved for by the FBI, he said.
The drones the county is looking to purchase will not have the ability for “kinetic” drone mitigation, which involves physical destruction or interception.
“But going forward, those are questions that we have to look at as the FBI approves new systems,” Bullis said.
Officials are also monitoring potential airspace restrictions during the tournament. Much of Cobb County is already under controlled airspace due to Dobbins Air Reserve Base and Cobb International Airport, though additional restrictions could be implemented by federal authorities closer to the event, Bullis said.
Overlapping events
Mazloom said the county is also preparing for overlapping events, including a full slate of Atlanta Braves home games at Truist Park during the World Cup window.
“We do anticipate a lot of activity around Truist Park ,” she said. “We will be working to make sure we have plenty of patrol units there, as well as any support needed at the other sites.”
Cobb has been coordinating closely with local and regional partners, including Marietta police and fire, Kennesaw State University police and other public safety agencies, to assess needs and allocate resources.
“We did just have a successful event last year with our All-Star Series. No major issues, and that speaks a lot to the planning that goes in ahead of time,” Mazloom said. “There’s a lot that goes on that people don’t see behind the scenes to make sure that these events are very safe and secure.”
Those partner relationships, she said, are “essential and critical.”
“And we work really hard to maintain those relationships so that we can be successful,” Mazloom said.
Chair Lisa Cupid believes the county can expect an economic boost from the World Cup, even without hosting matches.
“Travel and tourism continues to be one of the top sectors in Cobb County , and so we always anticipate that there will be some return due to the groundwork that we’ve already laid here in attracting people to the county,” Cupid said. “I don’t expect FIFA to be different, but time will tell.”
She also pointed to growing excitement around teams training in Cobb and hinted at the possibility that some practices could be open to the public.
“I’m still waiting to hear more, that’s just a little tease to say,” Cupid said. “But if that does occur, I anticipate that there will be a lot of excitement around that.”
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