Washington DC Braces for Major Security Operation

World | January 20, 2009, Tuesday // 00:00
Washington DC Braces for Major Security Operation: Washington DC Braces for Major Security Operation With 1 to 2 million people expected to attend the Inauguration ceremony in Washington DC Tuesday, the city is bracing for a major security operation. Photo by CNN

With enormous crowds expected to attend the Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington DC Tuesday, 58 federal, state and local agencies, coordinated by the Secret Service are bracing for a major security operation.

There is Secret Service command center, where representatives of all of the agencies can communicate and work together to respond to any possible problem.

In addition, thousands of armed police, soldiers and undercover agents will be on the streets while snipers will be positioned on rooftops near the Capitol building and along the parade route.

According to the US Homeland Security Secretary Michel Chertoff, the security effort will involve 8,000 police officers from the District of Columbia and other jurisdictions, 10,000 National Guardsmen, about 1,000 FBI personnel, hundreds of others from the Department of Homeland Security, the National Park Service and US Capitol Police. Another 20,000 members of the National Guard are ready to respond if there is an emergency.

Roads and bridges into Washington will be closed to traffic. Checkpoints are set up, and undercover teams will be looking for suspicious people or vehicles.

Explosives-sniffing dogs will be present on the subway and all over downtown Washington. Horses trained in crowd control are on duty as well while thousands of security cameras and sensors are being used to monitor activities and to detect chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

Airspace restrictions around the Capitol will be tightened to the maximum. Helicopters and fighter jets will patrol the skies, and the US Coast Guard will police the waterways with portions of the Potomac River closed all through Tuesday.

Despite all security measures, Chertoff is quoted as saying that an individual planning an attack would be difficult to detect.

"Whether the motivation is racism or some psychological disorder ... in an open society, it is impossible to keep a single individual from doing some damage," he pointed out.

It is estimated that anywhere from 1 million to 2 million will gather in downtown DC. All are to undergo tight screening. Spectators unable to get to the taking of oath ceremony or the parade will be directed to the National Mall, which, for the first time, will be open from end to end for an inauguration.

Authorities say, however, the massive security operation is not intended to deter people from coming to Washington, but to provide for their safety and security.

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