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12/13/2004:

"First Inauguration Since 9/11 Spurs Tightest Security"

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 - For nearly a year, the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies have been developing what they regard as the most comprehensive security plan ever devised for the inauguration of an American president.

From the swearing-in ceremony for President Bush at the Capitol on Jan. 20 to the presidential parade review at the White House to the evening galas, the inaugural events will be the first in decades to be held in wartime and the first since the terrorist attacks of 2001. They will take place at buildings that symbolize American democracy, and hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend, including the highest-ranking government officials, other prominent Americans and dignitaries from around the world. It is hard to imagine, say security experts, a bigger target for terrorists.

"This is a very, very serious event," said James J. Varey, a retired Secret Service officer and former chief of the United States Capitol Police who worked on security plans for every inauguration from 1973 to 2001. "The public has every right to be concerned if we've done enough and covered all of our bases."

Since President Ronald Reagan's second inauguration, in 1985, nearly four years after he was shot in an assassination attempt, security efforts have steadily intensified.

In January 2001, when the country was divided over a disputed presidential election, the newest development was security checkpoints along the parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Capitol to the White House, to minimize the ability of protesters to disrupt the procession. None did, although several people threw eggs and debris at Mr. Bush's limousine as it left the Capitol grounds.

But Mr. Bush's second inauguration is vastly different from his first, with many Americans fearful of another terrorist attack. The atmosphere has prompted officials to devise a detailed security plan that they are reluctant to discuss. Security personnel involved with planning the events, in agencies like the Secret Service, the F.B.I. and the Joint Forces Headquarters for the National Capital Region, declined to disclose any details.
Full Article: nytimes.com