Post by RPankn on May 11, 2004 3:07:18 GMT -5
[I don't mean to sound paranoid here, but after the revelations coming out of Iraq about prisoner torture, this doesn't look good.]
Government To Pay $25 Million For Security
POSTED: 7:10 am EDT May 10, 2004
BOSTON -- Israeli suicide terrorism specialists and crowd-control tacticians will help to train Boston police officers in preparation for the Democratic National Convention in July, according to an operational plan obtained by the Boston Sunday Globe.
The Boston Police Department's plan requires officers to work 12-hour shifts and provides new details about the city's security efforts.
Local officials said they are attempting to craft an airtight security plan that does not disrupt the city and the neighborhood around the FleetCenter, where the four-day convention will take place from July 26 to July 29. The U.S. Secret Service is the lead security agency of more than 20 total agencies, but city police officers will play a major role.
The federal government will pay $25 million to cover security costs.
"The city will see unprecedented security for this event," Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole said. "It should reassure the public that an inordinate amount of planning has gone into this event."
O'Toole said the plan has been in development stages for 17 months and it was still subject to change until the time of the convention. The plan does not give specific deployment numbers or assignments.
The plan calls for all personnel to be trained in detecting suspicious packages, handling bomb threats, hazardous material response and evacuation procedures.
It also enlarges the "hard" security zone around the convention arena and would require all delegates, reporters and employees to pass through metal detectors and X-ray machines at a tightly guarded checkpoint for entrance. All participants, including police, will have to show their credentials, and all bags and packages will be hand searched.
Each day, police officers will meet at the University of Massachusetts in Boston for roll call and credential checks. Then, police must arrive to and depart from the convention by bus and they will not be allowed to leave the secure area until their shifts end. Boston officers will also not be allowed a day off or vacation during the week.
A soft security zone will be open to pedestrians without credentials, but cars will be excluded beginning July 23.
The police department will also maintain 24-hour security at each hotel, the plan said, adding that the department is concerned about transportation security for delegates.
All officers must wear bulletproof vests and have riot gear with them.
"The department's response to problems must be proactive, immediate, and interdictive but not disproportional to the problem," the report says. "The operational plan's main objectives are to maintain order, protect lives, protect individual rights, protect vital facilities, arrest law violators, and protect property."
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Link: www.thebostonchannel.com/politics/3286686/detail.html
Government To Pay $25 Million For Security
POSTED: 7:10 am EDT May 10, 2004
BOSTON -- Israeli suicide terrorism specialists and crowd-control tacticians will help to train Boston police officers in preparation for the Democratic National Convention in July, according to an operational plan obtained by the Boston Sunday Globe.
The Boston Police Department's plan requires officers to work 12-hour shifts and provides new details about the city's security efforts.
Local officials said they are attempting to craft an airtight security plan that does not disrupt the city and the neighborhood around the FleetCenter, where the four-day convention will take place from July 26 to July 29. The U.S. Secret Service is the lead security agency of more than 20 total agencies, but city police officers will play a major role.
The federal government will pay $25 million to cover security costs.
"The city will see unprecedented security for this event," Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole said. "It should reassure the public that an inordinate amount of planning has gone into this event."
O'Toole said the plan has been in development stages for 17 months and it was still subject to change until the time of the convention. The plan does not give specific deployment numbers or assignments.
The plan calls for all personnel to be trained in detecting suspicious packages, handling bomb threats, hazardous material response and evacuation procedures.
It also enlarges the "hard" security zone around the convention arena and would require all delegates, reporters and employees to pass through metal detectors and X-ray machines at a tightly guarded checkpoint for entrance. All participants, including police, will have to show their credentials, and all bags and packages will be hand searched.
Each day, police officers will meet at the University of Massachusetts in Boston for roll call and credential checks. Then, police must arrive to and depart from the convention by bus and they will not be allowed to leave the secure area until their shifts end. Boston officers will also not be allowed a day off or vacation during the week.
A soft security zone will be open to pedestrians without credentials, but cars will be excluded beginning July 23.
The police department will also maintain 24-hour security at each hotel, the plan said, adding that the department is concerned about transportation security for delegates.
All officers must wear bulletproof vests and have riot gear with them.
"The department's response to problems must be proactive, immediate, and interdictive but not disproportional to the problem," the report says. "The operational plan's main objectives are to maintain order, protect lives, protect individual rights, protect vital facilities, arrest law violators, and protect property."
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Link: www.thebostonchannel.com/politics/3286686/detail.html
