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Saturday Morning News

Security is Extremely Tight for Inauguration Parade

Aired January 20, 2001 - 8:44 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Demonstrators are expected to be out in force along the inaugural parade route protesting Bush's election and also his policies.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: As a result, security, the tightest it has been for a presidential inauguration ever. This in part also because of new rules requiring the Secret Service to be in charge. Kelli Arena once again outside live with more.

Hey, Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Bill. Well, Secret Service is just finishing up a security sweep of the parade route. There are 16 local and federal law enforcement agencies fully manned today to make sure that this inaugural event runs smoothly and safely.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA (voice-over): Inauguration security is the tightest ever because large scale protests are expected, like those that hit Seattle and Washington, D.C. This time, some 20,000 protesters from anti- globalization demonstrators to civil rights groups.

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Pocket knives. You see more nails over there.

ARENA: D.C.'s police chief is hopeful but on guard.

CHIEF CHARLES RAMSEY, METROPOLITAN POLICE DISTRICT: They insist that they're going to be peaceful. We have to remember that being peaceful and being lawful are two different things.

ARENA: The Secret Service for the first time is in charge, and the agency is not taking any chances. Among precautions, security checkpoints for the crowd, police officers standing just about arm to arm, and a ban on large poles like those used to carry protest signs. Large protest groups limited to certain sites along the parade route with bleachers often between them and Pennsylvania Avenue.

All told, 16 federal and local law enforcement agencies are manning multiple command centers to be ready for the expected and the unexpected.

LARRY COCKELL, SECRET SERVICE: We try to prepare for the lone assailant. We prepared for sniper attacks.

ARENA: And worse-case scenario: a possible terrorist attack.

JAMES RICE, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: You talk about Washington, D.C., it stand for America. When we have enemies around the world, whether they're international terrorists or foreign governments, Washington, D.C. is what they're going to think of when they think of an area to attack.

ARENA: Secret Service agents were put to the test just last week when during inaugural training, their instructors engineered a mock rocket attack. Training like this has been going on at all critical agencies for at least eight months. Even the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be on the scene ready for any necessary large- scale response.

BRUCE BAUGHMAN, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: We do have a leg up, and we'll already have an operation center up. We'll have resources pre-staged exactly in this particular area. We know the geographic location, which is different from the way we normally have to deal with natural disasters.

ARENA: Law enforcement pros say success rates go up when there's a very visible security presence. And for every officer or agent you see, there's one you don't see.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: But part of that massive visible security presence is right behind me. What you're looking at is one of the -- is D.C. Emergency Services Command van fully equipped for communication just in case you need to shut off power or water or get into the sewer system.

If we move along the parade route here, you can see -- very shortly you'll be able to see the volunteer security force. They are all dressed in yellow and they have D.C. Police in black there. You can see parade goers are already lining up. That is a security checkpoint. As I said, it's one of the -- this is the first time you've ever had to go through a security checkpoint. There are some protesters within that crowd outside. We heard some yelling and chanting earlier. You cannot hear it from this high up but that is a very large crowd. But we are told that this should go along as smoothly and as quickly as possible.

You should know, as I mentioned before, there are command centers around the city ready to respond in case of any emergency. They are fully communicating. We are communicating with them just to keep you up to date on any possible mishaps -- Bill.

HEMMER: Good deal. Kelli, thanks. Kelli Arena outside here in Washington.

HEMMER: And for more now on today's unprecedented inauguration security, live here in Washington with us now is Rich Roth. He's our security analyst and a former Secret Service agent. Rich, good morning to you. Thanks for your time today.

RICH ROTH, SECURITY ANALYST: Good morning.

HEMMER: Listen, you've been in touch with some folks watching things today security wise. How close are they to having things buttoned up for the day?

ROTH: I think they've got it more buttoned up than they ever have in the past. I think one of the things that people don't realize is the local police here are probably the biggest security contingent around. The Washington police have been doing this for a number of years, many, many years.

HEMMER: Rich, how much of what we don't see is taking part out here? Kelli referred to it in the story we just heard, but how much is happening that we will not notice today when we're standing on the street?

ROTH: Well, a lot of the stuff you're not going to notice has already happened, and that is a lot of the bomb sweeps, a lot of the security sweeps have gone on around the town where these inaugural balls and events are going to occur.

Before that, and that's where a lot of this really comes to fruition, is back in the planning stages. And they've been planning since July, probably a little earlier than July, on getting ready for this event itself.

HEMMER: Yeah, Rich, how big of a job is it? I mean, if you look at the scale of all the big events across the nation, is this the biggest in terms of security concerns or not?

ROTH: Right now it is and it will be. You have two things going on here. You have two presidents virtually at the moment and two vice presidents, so you have a lot of different security concerns going on at the moment.

HEMMER: These checkpoints, too, Rich, what sort or problems have they presented knowing that the Secret Service is now in charge of this detail? How much of an issue has this become at these checkpoints?

ROTH: I think we're all getting very used to them. The inaugural ball last night, the Texas state one, everybody seemed to deal with the checkpoints rather well. And they seem to be not creating any real difficulties for anyone.

HEMMER: What's the biggest challenge, Rich, today when you're talking about coordinating through so many different agencies?

ROTH: That's the biggest thing, and that is getting everybody to talk to each other, getting everybody to realize that we're all working for one thing here. Once again, I'll give the Washington police a lot of credit on this. There are police agencies all the way from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia that are working on this. And getting -- tying them all together is a monumental task.

HEMMER: Several different states in the area certainly involved there, and it's been more than a year, as you mentioned, in the planning stages. We will watch it unfold today.

Rich Roth with us in D.C. Rich, thanks. Enjoy the day yourself, all right?

ROTH: Thanks.

HEMMER: Many thanks.

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