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Two U.S. cities will become virtual fortresses during the
Democratic and Republican nominating conventions,
protected by airplanes, helicopters, barriers, fences and
thousands of police officers, National Guard troops and
Secret Service agents.
In Denver, where Democrats assemble next week, police are
spending $18 million on equipment alone and will be
bolstered by National Guard troops and hundreds of officers
from surrounding suburbs. In St. Paul, Minnesota, site of the
Sept. 1-4 Republican nominating convention, police are
calling on 80 law-enforcement agencies to provide 3,000
officers to supplement the city's 500- person force.
Congress earmarked $100 million for security at the two
meetings, where federal and local authorities are trying to
guard against any dangers to candidates or convention-goers.
``We are constantly looking at what threats could harm us,''
said Malcolm Wiley, a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service,
which is overseeing security operations.
Safeguarding the quadrennial gatherings is difficult, in part
because so many public officials are among the thousands of
people in attendance, said Andrew O'Connell, a former Secret
Service agent who runs the Washington office of New
York-based Fortress Global Investigations & Security. ``It
will be a challenge,'' he said.
Offices Evacuated
The federal money, $50 million for each convention, is being
spent for security measures such as fencing and high-tech
camera- surveillance systems. The security costs will roughly
equal the amount the two cities' host committees plan to raise
for other convention costs.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain's campaign
offices in Denver and in Manchester, New Hampshire, were
evacuated yesterday after a Denver employee opened an
envelope containing a threatening letter and white powder.
The New Hampshire office received a letter addressed in
similar handwriting, which wasn't opened.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be on
``heightened alert'' to track potential threats, said Russ
Knocke, a department spokesman.
``We're really making sure we're amping up our focus,''
Knocke said.
Security in St. Paul and Denver will be so tight that former
Secret Service agent Chris Falkenberg said terrorists searching
for a target might look elsewhere. ``The possibility of having
a major attack is very, very slim'' at the convention sites, said
Falkenberg, president of New York-based Insite Security Inc.
``It would be a good time to pull off an attack in Chicago,
Boston.''
Months of Planning
Security in St. Paul focuses on the Xcel Energy Center, where
Republicans will meet to nominate Arizona Senator John
McCain for president. In Denver, where most convention
activities are scheduled for the Pepsi Center arena, security
officials had to adapt their plans when Illinois Senator Barack
Obama decided to accept his party's nomination at the
76,000-seat Invesco Field at Mile High.
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. ``I'm not going to sit here and say, `Oh, it was a piece-of-
cake,''' Secret Service Assistant Director Nicholas Trotta said
of Obama's move. Still, he said the Secret Service wasn't
thrown by the change because agents often ``have to modify,
change, add and subtract when we get to a venue.''
The Colorado Department of Transportation will close
Interstate 25, the main north-south route through the state's
biggest city, during the Sept. 28 stadium event. Trucks
carrying hazardous cargo are prohibited from using I-25 near
downtown Denver for a week, starting tomorrow.
Air Cover
Federal, state and local officials have been planning security
precautions since last year, consulting on details such as
motorcades for VIPs and road closures.
More than 1,000 National Guard troops will help with
communication and supplies in Denver, said Captain Robert
Bell, a spokesman for the Colorado National Guard. More
than 1,000 Minnesota National Guard troops will help
provide security at sites outside the Xcel Center that are
being used by convention participants, said Lieutenant
Colonel Kevin Olson, a guard spokesman.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command, based at
Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, will participate.
Lieutenant Desmond James, a spokesman, wouldn't give
specifics about NORAD's involvement. At previous
conventions, James said NORAD has provided medical and
planning assistance as well as air cover.
Instant Communications
The Federal Bureau of Investigation plans to use a new
version of a computer network that lets all its branch offices
build leads on cases. ``We've got the capability of
communicating instantaneously on case-specific matters,''
said Ray DiNunzio, the FBI's acting section chief for
domestic terrorism and response.
The Coast Guard will monitor the Mississippi River near the
Xcel Energy Center.
Protest groups say they expect large demonstrations. The
American Civil Liberties Union's Colorado chapter filed suit
challenging police plans to limit marches and protests to
designated areas. A federal judge upheld the restrictions.
Mark Silverstein, legal director of the ACLU in Colorado,
said he's afraid that crowd-control officers from a hodgepodge
of different police departments might not all respond
appropriately to protesters.
``Denver is getting reinforcements from dozens of other law-
enforcement agencies,'' Silverstein said. ``When the visiting
officers come, do they play by the visiting team's rules or by
the home team's rules?''
To contact the reporter on this story: Jeff Bliss in
Washington at jbliss@bloomberg.net .
(source: Blacklisted News .com)
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