First off it wasn't the gov/police that released these photos, but instead the tripod (equipment) supplier. From the looks of it they were merely trying to use these as marketing. For example; "Hey [potential customer], check these photos of the SWAT teams using our equipment to cover the Super Bowl. So if they trust our equipment, why shouldn't you?". However I guess they didn't account for the backlash from some naive people.
BTW this isn't the only Super Bowl or major event that's been covered by snipers. Heck according to the Cowboys owner, their stadium even had some perches (snipers nests) built for this.