Ridge tours Boston, espouses confidence
 |  Tom Ridge and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino watch a bomb squad robot demonstration. |
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(CNN) -- A week after offering another warning of possible terrorist attacks, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge expressed confidence Wednesday that authorities have enhanced security to thwart any attack during the Democratic National Convention.
Ridge toured Boston in advance of the four-day convention set to begin July 26.
"Our goal is to deter any potential attack with multiple layers of security and, based on what I have seen and heard, I can tell you that the security plans and arrangements and commitment of federal, state and local officials is very, very strong," Ridge told reporters at a joint news conference with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino overlooking Boston Harbor.
Ridge rejected the suggestion by some Democrats that politics may have played a role in his announcement last Thursday that the al Qaeda terrorist network plans a large-scale attack on the United States "in an effort to disrupt the democratic process" before November's elections.
"We don't do politics in homeland security," Ridge said.
Although much of the information about security preparations for the event remains classified, Ridge told reporters that patrol boats will be positioned in Boston Harbor and surrounding waters.
He also said mobile command vehicles will be posted at strategic locations throughout the city to coordinate communications with law-enforcement agencies "to ensure vital information does not slip through cracks."
Ridge reiterated that "to date, there is no specific intelligence that tells us or indicates to us that the convention itself would be subject to an attack."
Key convention facilities will be subject to around-the-clock video surveillance. Portable X-ray equipment will be set up so that inspectors can examine packages and commercial vehicles seeking to enter the convention area.
Several thousand Department of Homeland Security personnel -- as well as teams of dogs trained to detect bombs -- will augment the work of local law enforcement officials, Ridge said.
Security at hotels and transportation facilities will also be increased to protect the buildings and their ventilation systems, he said.
Ridge called for attendees and residents to add to the security effort by heightening their awareness of their surroundings, and to report to officials anything that appears suspicious.
One of the most difficult attacks to prevent against in any open society would be a suicide bomber, he said.
