Secret Service to oversee inauguration security
From Jeanne Meserve
CNN Washington Bureau
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The presidential inauguration on January 20 has been designated a National Special Security Event by the Department of Homeland Security, government officials said Monday.
This puts the U.S. Secret Service in charge of overall security planning for the swearing-in ceremony, the inaugural parade and the inaugural balls. President Bush's first inaugural was the first event to be given the NSSE designation.
U.S. government officials have repeatedly expressed concern that terrorists might try to disrupt the political process, and DHS spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said the inaugural is a "significant milestone in that process."
Roehrkasse added that DHS "has not become less concerned because we have passed the election" without a terrorist incident.
In fact, one government official said, some individuals within DHS have grown more concerned, not less so.
The NSSE designation is given based on a number of factors, including the size and significance of an event and the number of dignitaries attending. The security plan is customized for each event, but usually involves a significant federal presence to bolster state and local law-enforcement resources.
Five events were designated NSSEs in 2004: the State of the Union Address, the G8 Sea Island, Georgia, Economic Summit, the funeral of former President Ronald Reagan, and the Democratic and Republican national conventions.
