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The clang and clatter of anti-scale fencing being erected, the revving of forklift engines and the whizzing of golf carts ferrying public works employees could be heard and seen this week across Downtown D.C.
During a news conference Monday, more than a dozen top federal, state and local law enforcement, military and transit officials joined D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in laying out extraordinary security measures being put in place for the 60th U.S. presidential inauguration events.
鈥淢ore than 30 miles of anti-scale fence will be used for the inauguration 鈥� more than any other NSSE (National Special Security Event) ever before,鈥� said Matt McCool, special agent-in-charge of the Secret Service鈥檚 Washington Field Office.
A NSSE is an event of national or international significance that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) determines is a potential target for terrorism or other criminal activity.
Because of the increasing sophistication of what law enforcement officials call 鈥渢hreat actors,” another important and very visible tool before and during the inauguration will be drones.
鈥淭he Secret Service鈥檚 comprehensive security plan will continue to use drones as part of our protective posture. Do not be alarmed if you see these assets during the inauguration and in the training in the days ahead,鈥� McCool said.
Approximately 25,000 law enforcement officers and military personnel, as well as 4,000 officers from police departments around the country, will be part of a massive security presence patrolling a 2-mile perimeter and other locations during the event.
Trump鈥檚 historic presence makes him a target
Part of the reason for the historic preparations is the notable nature of Donald Trump鈥檚 relationship with the U.S. presidency. He was the 45th president (2017-2021) and is the elected 47th president.
Don Mihalek, a former senior Secret Service agent, told 海角精品黑料, 鈥淚t’s the first time, in the modern era, we’ve had a president being inaugurated who had been the president before.鈥�
The only other was Grover Cleveland, the 22nd president from (1885 to 1889) and then the 24th president (1893 to 1897).
But a more ominous issue about Trump鈥檚 recent past is of concern.
鈥淭his is also the first time we鈥檙e having a president being inaugurated, who’s had two assassination attempts during the campaign,” Mihalek said. “It’s the first time we’ve also had a president who has a real threat against them from a foreign entity 鈥� in this case, from Iran.鈥�
Another unique element about this inauguration, Mihalek said, is Trump鈥檚 relationship to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
鈥淵ou have a president being inaugurated who is coming in on the heels of a bunch of turmoil that occurred when he was leaving office,鈥� he added.
Terrorism anxiety hangs over Inauguration
Adding to the heightened unease before this inauguration is the vehicle-ramming attack that killed 14 people on New Year鈥檚 Day in New Orleans. On Monday, the FBI and DHS released a public service announcement asking people across the country to 鈥渞emain vigilant鈥� because of that ISIS-inspired attack.
鈥淭he FBI and DHS are concerned about due to the persistent appeal of vehicle ramming as a tactic for aspiring violent extremist attackers,鈥� the announcement said.
During Monday’s news conference, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger indicated individuals like Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the man behind the New Orleans attack, are their top concern during the inaugural.
鈥淭he biggest threat, I think, for all of us,鈥� Manger said, 鈥渞emains the lone actor.鈥�
He cited incidents from last week while former President Jimmy Carter’s body was lying in state at the Capitol.
鈥淲e had two lone actors show up at the Capitol 鈥� one trying to bring in knives and a machete,” Manger said. “Another one was trying to, I believe, to disrupt the proceedings by setting their car on fire down in the Peace Circle area of the U.S. Capitol.鈥�
In an exclusive interview, David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office told 海角精品黑料 that 鈥渓one actors鈥� still present a significant challenge.
鈥淭hey’re exceptionally hard to detect,” Sundberg told 海角精品黑料. “If a lone individual is planning an attack or thinking about a conducting attack or an act of violence but not sharing that information with anybody, not cascading that out, not giving any sign, they can be very, very hard to find.”
Extremists, whether inspired by foreign terrorist organizations, or even if they鈥檙e self-radicalized, have demonstrated multiple times in recent years that working alone gives them a distinct advantage over law enforcement.
鈥淭he true lone wolf,鈥� Sundberg said, isn鈥檛 really talking to anybody. “Unless we have direct contact with that person or they leave some sort of sign somewhere that we can pick up, it鈥檚 much more difficult to find that person before the attack.鈥�
Technology is the key
During the inauguration, technology may be a double-edged sword.
It will be heavily leveraged by law enforcement authorities. One of two known applications is the use of signal jammers to prevent unauthorized radio frequencies from being transmitted. That means mobile phones for many attendees will not work in certain locations. The objective is to prevent the use of an electronic device to detonate an explosive device or other weapon.
Additionally, there is also explosive detection technology in place to prevent improvised explosive devices from being spirited inside the protective perimeter through metal detectors.
There are numerous other technological tools that authorities use, but for security reasons they don鈥檛 talk about them.
One of them is because threat actors also use technology.
In 2017, just days before Trump鈥檚 first inauguration, two Romanian nationals hacked into D.C. police’s CCTV network.
Approximately, 123 of the police department鈥檚 187 surveillance cameras went dark eight days before Trump was sworn in as president, triggering profound national security concern.
There is no evidence, according to law enforcement sources, of any problem with police surveillance cameras at this point.
McCool referred to the tens of thousands of people working to secure the inauguration as an 鈥渁ll-star team working to keep everyone safe, while minimizing disruptions as much as possible.鈥�
Mihalek, who touted the long streak of successful inaugurations his former agency has spearheaded, said, 鈥渋n this one, they’re going to have to amp it up to make sure that they’re on point with all the security planning.鈥�
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