Did my tax dollars pay for Taylor Swift's police escort?

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – After landing at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport in her private jet, Taylor Swift received a police escort to the Bills-Chiefs playoff game, utilized the players' entrance off Big Tree Road and was accompanied to her suite by no less than five plainclothes and uniformed deputies.

Did our tax dollars pay for that?

While every NFL game features an abundance of security personnel, widely shared videos of Swift's arrival at Highmark Stadium last month publicized what is typically a mundane practice and contributed to a rise in questions about the use of public funds spent escorting the wealthy.

The Stadium Security Agreement between the Bills and Erie County states that a minimum of 128 police officers are to be staffed at each home game, in addition to approximately 100 deputy sheriffs or officers assigned to traffic detail and crowd control in and around the stadium and nearby roads. The team reimburses the county for these services, which can be billed at overtime rates.

The Erie County Sheriff's Office also staffs an additional "escort team" for each Bills home game, which is responsible for ensuring there are no issues getting vital personnel to the stadium.

The unit, paid as normal through tax dollars, “represents a crucial component of public safety,” a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office said.

The escort team is most commonly seen safeguarding the visiting team’s buses on the way to the stadium. This unit also assists in gameday transportation for referees, members of the national broadcast crew, and other "dignitaries" like team owners or, occasionally, the reigning TIME Person of the Year.

So did taxpayers foot the bill for Taylor Swift’s police escort to the stadium? Technically yes, since the Erie County Sheriff's escort team is not part of the gameday security detail for which the Bills reimburse the county. But the Sheriff's spokesperson emphasized that Swift's escort did not cost anything extra -- the same number of deputies would have worked on the escort team that day whether or not Swift was in town.

The Chiefs won the game Swift attended in Orchard Park, 27-24, with boyfriend Travis Kelce's two touchdowns helping eliminate the Bills from the playoffs. Fans who missed Swift this time around could have another chance next season, with Kansas City scheduled to return Buffalo for a regular-season game in 2024.