SECURING PUBLIC VENUES

Jul 1, 2004 12:00 PM, BY MICHAEL FICKES

At the end of this month, Democrats will convene at the FleetCenter in Boston and nominate Senator John Kerry in the first national political convention held since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. A month later, in August, the Republicans will meet at Madison Square Garden to re-nominate President Bush.

Both conventions are considered potential targets for terrorists, and the grim goal of security for both conventions will be to prevent a mass casualty terrorist attack that could disrupt the nation's political process.

While securing a national political convention has never been easy, the 2004 sites pose unique problems. Both are located above major rail transportation hubs. Beneath the FleetCenter in Boston, North Station brings an estimated 24,000 commuters per day into the city. New York's Penn Station, beneath Madison Square Garden, serves approximately 600,000 people per day, arriving from points across the country.

Both sites are located in the heart of major U.S. cities considered to be likely terrorist targets. According to the New York-based Insurance Services Organization, which evaluates the likelihood of terrorist attacks, Boston ranks fifth among U.S. cities likely to be attacked; tragically, New York has already proven to be a target.

PLANNING CONVENTION SECURITY

The first step in the planning process came last summer, when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declared both conventions National Special Security Events (NSSE's). The NSSE designation places the U.S. Secret Service in charge of federal activities related to the design and implementation of operational security for the event. It also frees up federal funds to help pay for security. The Secret Service declined to be interviewed for this article.

According to some reports, the federal government will contribute $25 million to the security efforts at both conventions. New York City's estimates of the overall security costs for the Madison Square Garden event have risen from $27 million to $76 million over the past year. Boston officials have placed the cost of security at the FleetCenter at $40 million. By contrast, security for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, another NSSE site, cost $310 million. The federal government paid $250 million of that total.

In New York, for example, Director of Convention Operations Mike Miller told the Associated Press that the convention center's outer perimeter would be “measured in blocks and not feet.”

At the outer perimeter, the security plan calls for fencing studded with checkpoints where security officers will check credentials. Vehicle checkpoints will likely be part of this perimeter.

TRANSPORTATION SECURITY

In the months leading up to the Republican convention, New York officials insisted that Penn Station, located beneath Madison Square Garden, would remain open throughout the event. Police with bomb-sniffing dogs will, however, be assigned to monitor arriving trains and look for unattended packages.

Among the more frightening news stories to precede the convention in New York have been almost weekly reports of unattended bags found in Penn Station. “Whether these are official tests or tests conducted by terrorists has not been reported,” observes Christopher Grniet, a vice president with Kroll Schiff & Associates, the security consulting and engineering division of Kroll Inc.

Grniet also predicts that police will likely conduct bomb sweeps of Penn Station and Madison Square Garden every day during the convention. Staffing will come from officers working with the various transportation agencies connected to Penn Station and the New York Police Department.

In Boston, officials have decided to close North Station, the transit stop underneath the FleetCenter, over the four-day convention run. In addition, major roads leading into the city will be closed, including Interstate 93, which passes close by the FleetCenter and accommodates some 200,000 commuters per day. Travel on Interstate 95 will also be restricted. During the afternoon and evening hours, a number of other routes into the city will close as well, including the commuter boat service.

Airspace above Boston and New York will be restricted, too. In Boston, for example, no private helicopters or planes will be allowed within a 30-mile radius of the FleetCenter.

COOPERATING WITH PRIVATE SECURITY TEAMS

According to some reports, approximately 10,000 of the city's 36,000 police officers will participate in security activities in and around the convention center. These officers have received special training related to the rights of demonstrators, monitoring CCTV, patrolling tactics, and sweeping for nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. A number of officers also attended the G-8 summit held in early June in Georgia to observe security operations for highly secure events.

In addition to the police presence, units from the Fire Department of New York, including emergency medical services personnel, will be deployed around the convention center to ensure availability if an emergency arises.

But many people outside of the police and fire departments have been brought into the security planning process. For example, New York City officials have made contingency plans for medical assistance. They have requested that 11 hospitals, four nursing facilities, and nearly 1,000 healthcare clinics in Manhattan maintain full staffing during the convention.

In both New York and Boston, thousands of people work for businesses located inside the outer perimeter. In both cities, officials have urged these companies to encourage employees to work from other locations within the city, to telecommute, or to take a vacation. In other words, unless you have specific business at one of the conventions, you probably won't get through the outer perimeter.

At the same time, officials in both cities are coordinating convention security with private security firms working for corporations and landlords with facilities located in or near the convention zones. “There is a realization that law enforcement cannot do it all,” says Larry Loesch, vice president and general manager for Allied Security's New York City operations. “This is an important difference since Sept. 11. Where we were not involved before, now we are.”

In Boston, for example, Allied's Dave Silvey, vice president of operations for New England, and Steve Denelsbeck, an account manager working at the FleetCenter, have been involved day-to-day with convention planning. “We've put on a number of briefings for property managers, building owners, and business owners about how convention security might affect business operations,” Silvey says. “What will the traffic patterns be? How will one company's people get through credentials checkpoints? How will deliveries be made?”

In New York, Allied's Loesch communicates regularly with the police about frozen zones or blocks cordoned off to enhance convention security. “Whenever this information is released, we take it back to our clients to help them prepare,” he says.

Securing political conventions or other large public events has always posed daunting challenges. In the post-Sept.11 world, however, the difficulties have multiplied. Federal, local, and state security officials are learning to address these challenges by working more closely — with each other and with private security firms, community hospitals, and community businesses.

MAKING A STATEMENT

Some in the security industry are prone to second-guessing efforts to protect the conventions. “It is astounding that they would choose sites like these,” says Grniet, “Perhaps they want to make a statement that we're in the U.S., and we believe we can do this.”

According to the Secret Service, security planning began more than a year ago, a planning period that Grniet considers inadequate. “Putting together a security program for these types of events at these sites in a year is ambitious,” he says. “I would think that it would take longer.”

Access control will be a huge issue at the conventions, say industry observers. Each convention attendee will receive a credential based on their level of access; the more access an individual has, the more detailed the credential he or she will receive “To the extent possible, the security planners will probably try to generate a guest list for the conventions,” Grniet suggests. “If I were running security here, I would also do background checks on everyone within a certain radius of the podium.”

During the convention, officers with wireless card readers could check the credentials of those seated in high-profile locations — near or around the podium, continues Grniet. Ideally, those attendees might carry cards with names, photographs and biometric templates.

SECURING THE PERIMETERS

The entrances to the convention centers will likely resemble checkpoints in airports, with magnetometers, X-ray machines, and bomb detection technology, comments Grant Haber, president of American Innovations Inc., a Spring Valley, N.Y.-based reseller of this equipment. “Suspicious packages could undergo swab analysis to look for explosive residues,” he says.

“I think it would be wise to forewarn people coming in not to carry packages or bags,” Grniet adds. “This will enable people to move into the facility as quickly as possible.”

Additional perimeters will be set up outside of the convention centers.

Haber says it is possible to use mobile high energy X-ray screening systems also to check vehicles. “This kind of check could extract drivers and passengers from vehicles and carry out swab tests of different parts of the vehicle: gear shifts, door knobs, gas tank caps, trunk releases, seatbelts — anything that people normally touch.”

While news reports have not covered threats related to chemical, biological and radiological weapons, observers generally concur that technology designed to detect these kinds of weapons will be deployed at outer and inner perimeters of each convention center.

POLITICAL PROTESTS

Political conventions always attract political opponents and demonstrators. “A demonstration can be peaceful, aggressive, or criminal and sometimes all three,” says Tim Horner, senior director with Kroll, Inc. in New York. As a retired commanding officer of the New York Police Department's Community Affairs division, Horner has been directly responsible for managing demonstrations in New York. “Prior to a demonstration, you negotiate with the group to explain the ground rules. For example, no one can use a wooden post to carry a sign. Wooden posts can be used as weapons. We also discuss the types of sound systems that can be used and for how long. This is a matter of balancing the rights of demonstrators with the rights of companies conducting business in the area. We also discuss where the demonstration will take place and set the route.

“Finally, managing demonstrations includes an intelligence component: What have these groups done in the past? Have they been violent? You have to factor all of this into your analysis of security needs for the current event.”

FOR THE RECORD…

ABOUT THE COMPANIES

For information, circle the Reader Service number (listed below) or visit securitysolutions.com

Allied Security	15
American Innovations	16
Kroll Inc.	17
Lenel Systems Intl. Inc.	18
Monterrey Security	19

On Location: A Winning Game Plan

Bears vs. Packers. Monday Night Football. On a Monday night last September, the Bears opened the doors of the newly constructed Soldier Field, marking a new beginning for Chicago, the Bears and a renewed emphasis on stadium safety and security.

The $650 million stadium was built within the confines of the original Soldier Field, allowing the stadium's historic colonnades to remain standing. However, the new stadium is a stark contrast to the past, particularly as it relates to security.

Incorporating state-of-the-art security systems for surveillance, access control and life safety, New Soldier Field was designed to be a fan-friendly venue with safety and security a top priority.

For stadium managers SMG — a stadium and venue management group handling more than 158 venues around the country — providing the highest level of security for the new field started with selecting the right security provider combined with proper security systems.

Monterrey Security, a fully licensed, Chicago-based security services firm, was hired by SMG to provide security on-site for Soldier Field events as well as to provide security consulting during security system selection and implementation. Monterrey signed a 36-month contract to provide year-round, 24-hour security to New Soldier Field, as well as security for all stadium events, stadium parking facilities and the surrounding 17-acre parkland. Monterrey's goal for opening night was for the fans to worry about the Bear's offense rather than the stadium's defense.

“Fans aren't here to worry about their safety and protection, that's our job,” said Juan Gaytan, president of Monterrey Security.

Months before the big night, Monterrey went to Lenel Systems International, a provider of software and integrated security systems, to coordinate the installation of a security system. Lenel has worked with a number of other stadiums across the country to provide security technology.

At the new stadium, Lenel integrated access control, alarm monitoring, ID management, digital video, asset management, visitor management and third-party interfaces that use a single database.

Operating from a central command center in the lower levels of the stadium, as well as a secondary (emergency) command center in the press box, Monterrey Security is able to control and monitor the security systems in place, as well as coordinate the manned security effort on-site.

To keep an eye on events outside the stadium as well as the crowds inside, Monterrey Security administers an integrated, 48-camera surveillance system, using a mix of fixed-position and pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras, to monitor exterior parking facilities, the stadium exterior and interior, ticket booths and other sensitive areas.

To comply with the NFL's top recommended security standards, Monterrey executives attended the NFL's Security Training Symposium and Best Practices Training Symposium for security providers of NFL games. Monterrey Security also coordinated safety and security efforts with officials and experts from the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Emergency Preparedness and the FBI's Terrorism Task Force.

Emphasizing prevention rather than reaction, Monterrey Security designed its stadium security policies and procedures to provide its trained officers with the best opportunity to prevent crimes and dangerous situations before they occur. Emphasis is placed on responding in a non-threatening manner to diffuse, rather than escalate, a situation.

“When dealing with [security situations] in an environment with more than 60,000 people, it is critical to not only diffuse the situation, but to respond in a manner that minimizes rather than creating additional panic or incidents,” says Santiago Solis, Monterrey's senior vice president.

As is the case with all Monterrey Security officers, each member of the stadium detail received classroom and field training surpassing state requirements. Monterrey also requires that all its armed guards are off-duty law enforcement officials with a minimum of 600 hours of police and firearms training — including annual re-qualification in the use of deadly force. Staff members certified in occupational safety and health, construction safety, crowd control management and evacuation planning were also on hand.

With more than 62,000 people in attendance, Monterrey's game-day performance began well before kick off, with more than 200 officers on duty, including officers stationed at all stadium entrances to screen employees entering the facility, to monitor deliveries, and to control player and media access.

“In today's environment, a large number of people gathered in one place for a high-profile event is an inviting target for those looking to make a statement,” Gaytan said.

As fans began to filter into the stadium, Monterrey officers — easily spotted wearing brightly colored red jackets — were on duty to provide protection. Officers at all fan entrances performed searches for prohibited items such as fireworks, laser pens, noise-making devices, weapons and more by using handheld metal detectors and personally inspecting large bags and coats. Once inside, patrons could find guards throughout the stadium if needed.

SIDE NOTE

Bloombergoutlines plans for GOP Convention

The heart of midtown Manhattan will be closed to regular vehicle traffic for the four-day-long Republican National Convention beginning in late August. Closer to Madison Square Garden, police will bar even pedestrians.

New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (R) outlined the first detailed security plans in his weekly radio address.

The street closures and rerouting — which will last 13 hours each day — could bring traffic to a near-standstill. Police officers will also inspect trucks and vans in nearby neighborhoods.

“We're concerned about cars being used as weapons,” Deputy Commissioner Paul J. Browne told The Washington Post.

Pedestrians will be permitted within a block of the convention site, but only those with credentials will be allowed into the immediate area. Officers will escort workers and business patrons into the convention zone.

Commuter and subway trains will enter and depart normally from Penn Station, which is beneath Madison Square Garden; however, uniformed and undercover officers will make mass sweeps of the trains.

In Boston, by contrast, officials have urged downtown workers to avoid the downtown area and telecommute for the week of the Democratic National Convention, which will begin July 26.

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