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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| High security for Obama's inauguration | High security for Obama's inauguration |
| (1 day later) | |
| By Jonathan Beale BBC News, Washington | By Jonathan Beale BBC News, Washington |
| There was a time when a US president could travel from his inauguration in an open-top car. | There was a time when a US president could travel from his inauguration in an open-top car. |
| Secret Service agents will mingle with the crowds | Secret Service agents will mingle with the crowds |
| John F Kennedy was the last president to do that. | John F Kennedy was the last president to do that. |
| He was also the last president to be sworn into office without the protection of a bullet proof screen. | He was also the last president to be sworn into office without the protection of a bullet proof screen. |
| Those days have long gone. | Those days have long gone. |
| Secret Service agents now swarm a new president's blast-proof limousine as it travels along Pennsylvania Avenue. | Secret Service agents now swarm a new president's blast-proof limousine as it travels along Pennsylvania Avenue. |
| But the inauguration still presents a security nightmare. | But the inauguration still presents a security nightmare. |
| And Barack Obama's inauguration on Tuesday will provide the biggest challenge yet. | And Barack Obama's inauguration on Tuesday will provide the biggest challenge yet. |
| Biggest fear | Biggest fear |
| There have already been painstaking preparations, with rehearsals for security officials - not just for the military precision of the ceremony and the parade. | There have already been painstaking preparations, with rehearsals for security officials - not just for the military precision of the ceremony and the parade. |
| At a US military base in Washington they have been planning for any eventuality for the past six months. | At a US military base in Washington they have been planning for any eventuality for the past six months. |
| NO-FLY ZONE See map of road closures | NO-FLY ZONE See map of road closures |
| Huge satellite maps of the centre of Washington dominate the control room at Fort McNair. | Huge satellite maps of the centre of Washington dominate the control room at Fort McNair. |
| On the day itself they will be able to track the new president's every move - and the huge crowds expected to watch. | On the day itself they will be able to track the new president's every move - and the huge crowds expected to watch. |
| They are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. | They are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. |
| Major General Richard Rowe takes me through the possible scenarios: a major power failure, a car bomb or multiple ones, a cyber attack, the collapse of a bridge, and panic among the crowd. | Major General Richard Rowe takes me through the possible scenarios: a major power failure, a car bomb or multiple ones, a cyber attack, the collapse of a bridge, and panic among the crowd. |
| He says his biggest fear would be a biological, chemical or radioactive attack. | He says his biggest fear would be a biological, chemical or radioactive attack. |
| But they are ready for anything. | But they are ready for anything. |
| Outside the control room, members of the US Coast Guard show off the latest sensors to detect such a device. | |
| This is only the second inauguration to take place since the attacks on 11 September 2001. | This is only the second inauguration to take place since the attacks on 11 September 2001. |
| And Major General Rowe reminds me that America is still at war. | And Major General Rowe reminds me that America is still at war. |
| In the skies above Washington there is already a sober reminder - helicopters on patrol. | In the skies above Washington there is already a sober reminder - helicopters on patrol. |
| If you are hoping for a glimpse of the new president, get ready for suffocating security and a long wait in the cold | If you are hoping for a glimpse of the new president, get ready for suffocating security and a long wait in the cold |
| On the big day they will be joined by fighter jets. | On the big day they will be joined by fighter jets. |
| Along Washington's waterways the coast guard will be watching from high speed boats. | |
| Snipers will be positioned on the rooftops near the Capitol building and along the parade route. | Snipers will be positioned on the rooftops near the Capitol building and along the parade route. |
| Roads and bridges into Washington will be closed to traffic, with sniffer dogs on the subway and thousands of armed police, soldiers and plainclothes agents on the streets. | Roads and bridges into Washington will be closed to traffic, with sniffer dogs on the subway and thousands of armed police, soldiers and plainclothes agents on the streets. |
| Elite organisations | Elite organisations |
| In total, there will be 4,000 Washington police, reinforced by another 4,000 officers from all over the country. | In total, there will be 4,000 Washington police, reinforced by another 4,000 officers from all over the country. |
| Thousands more National Guard members have been called in. | Thousands more National Guard members have been called in. |
| That is on top of the 5,000 professional soldiers and sailors who will be on the ground. | That is on top of the 5,000 professional soldiers and sailors who will be on the ground. |
| The new presidential limousine will get its first outing | The new presidential limousine will get its first outing |
| There are 57 different government agencies involved in what has been declared a "National Special Security Event". | There are 57 different government agencies involved in what has been declared a "National Special Security Event". |
| And overseeing the entire operation is the US Secret Service. | And overseeing the entire operation is the US Secret Service. |
| It describes itself as "one of the most elite law enforcement organisations in the world", and has had the task of protecting the president ever since William McKinley's assassination in 1901. | It describes itself as "one of the most elite law enforcement organisations in the world", and has had the task of protecting the president ever since William McKinley's assassination in 1901. |
| Its most visible agents are the ones who will be running beside the presidential car. | Its most visible agents are the ones who will be running beside the presidential car. |
| But there will also be hundreds of others mingling in the crowd. | But there will also be hundreds of others mingling in the crowd. |
| The Secret Service has already been shadowing Barack Obama for a year. | The Secret Service has already been shadowing Barack Obama for a year. |
| But since his victory it has been stepping up his protection. | But since his victory it has been stepping up his protection. |
| It has also ordered a new presidential limousine. | It has also ordered a new presidential limousine. |
| Dubbed "the beast", it looks more like a tank than a car. | Dubbed "the beast", it looks more like a tank than a car. |
| So far it has only been seen in photos, but the public will get a chance to see it for real on inauguration day itself. | So far it has only been seen in photos, but the public will get a chance to see it for real on inauguration day itself. |
| When I asked Ed Donovan - the assistant special agent in charge - about the car's features, all he could say was that: "It's made by Cadillac". | When I asked Ed Donovan - the assistant special agent in charge - about the car's features, all he could say was that: "It's made by Cadillac". |
| Clearly, it is called the Secret Service for a reason. | Clearly, it is called the Secret Service for a reason. |
| Banned items | Banned items |
| Agent Donovan says his organisation recognises the "historical significance" of protecting the first African-American president. | Agent Donovan says his organisation recognises the "historical significance" of protecting the first African-American president. |
| It too has rehearsed for any eventuality - whether it is a lone sniper or a terrorist attack. | It too has rehearsed for any eventuality - whether it is a lone sniper or a terrorist attack. |
| Preparations for this day have been going on for more than a year, with officials looking at every detail right down to the credentials needed to enter the dozens of inauguration balls. | Preparations for this day have been going on for more than a year, with officials looking at every detail right down to the credentials needed to enter the dozens of inauguration balls. |
| And then there are the crowds. | And then there are the crowds. |
| Nobody is sure exactly how many people will turn up - estimates vary wildly from the hundreds of thousands up to four million. | Nobody is sure exactly how many people will turn up - estimates vary wildly from the hundreds of thousands up to four million. |
| Anyone hoping to get near the parade or the swearing-in ceremony will have to go through a security screen, while umbrellas, pushchairs and large banners are among the long list of items that have been banned. | Anyone hoping to get near the parade or the swearing-in ceremony will have to go through a security screen, while umbrellas, pushchairs and large banners are among the long list of items that have been banned. |
| Inauguration Day 2009 may well be the biggest show on earth. | Inauguration Day 2009 may well be the biggest show on earth. |
| But if you are hoping for a glimpse of the new president, get ready for suffocating security and a long wait in the cold. | But if you are hoping for a glimpse of the new president, get ready for suffocating security and a long wait in the cold. |
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