The 2026 NFL Draft, which is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of fans to Pittsburgh next month, will require a major police presence.

The city will need to bring in outside help, Pittsburgh police Commander Eric Baker told City Council members last week.

City Council on Tuesday approved agreements with 18 law enforcement agencies who will assist during the three-day event. The draft begins April 23 and runs through April 25.

Baker said those agencies are deploying explosive detection dogs to sweep the event area and incoming vehicles for explosives.

Baker told council members the city needed about 60 or 70 more police canines for the event. The city won’t have to pay its law enforcement partners for providing canines and handlers to assist. Each law enforcement agency will pay its own personnel.

Council unanimously approved legislation authorizing the agreements. An amendment tacked on ahead of a preliminary vote last week clarified that the agreements are not meant to include immigration enforcement.

Councilwoman Deb Gross, D-Highland Park, pointed out that some of the law enforcement agencies sending officers and canines to help out at the draft — including Beaver and Washington county sheriffs’ offices — have inked cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Also appearing on the list of law enforcement agencies partnering with the city is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Pittsburgh public safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz in a statement last week said ICE is not included in the agreement.

Cooperation agreements were approved for the following agencies:

  • Allegheny County Sheriff
  • Greene County Sheriff
  • Beaver County Sheriff
  • Mercer County Sheriff
  • Lawrence County Sheriff
  • Washington County Sheriff
  • Westmoreland County Park Police
  • Allegheny County Police Department
  • Chester County Police
  • Northern Regional Police Department
  • Pitcairn Borough Police Department
  • University of Pittsburgh Police
  • West Virginia University Police
  • U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco & Explosives
  • U.S. Transportation Security Administration
  • U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • FBI