News

Security for Thursday morning’s dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center will be at the highest levels in part because all five living U.S. presidents and many other dignitaries are expected at SMU. But what does that mean for invited guests and thousands of other city residents simply trying to go about their daily lives in the area?

The Dallas Morning News spoke separately to two men uniquely familiar with Secret Service operations and the security preparations behind such events.

W. Ralph Basham was director of the agency from 2003 to 2006, a term that included the opening of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Ark. Basham now serves as a partner with Command Consulting Group, a consulting firm that recently opened a Dallas office…

What can you say about what goes into the planning for this and can you talk at all about the importance of working with local agencies, like the Dallas Police Department?

Basham: They are totally reliant upon the local police cooperation in these kinds of events. In fact, they literally could not do the job if they did not have the support of the Dallas Police Department and the surrounding agencies, as well as their other federal counterparts, as well as the state security forces.

It’s a huge undertaking, and obviously you are going to have a lot of dignitaries there. But their mission is not just to protect the dignitaries and the guests but to protect the general public, and that’s always a consideration.

It’s safe to say there are going to be a lot of security measures that may not be obvious to us, so what can we expect to see?

Basham: You’ll see a lot of uniformed presence on the perimeters. You will see probably magnetometers to the entrances to the general events. You’ll see canine units, you’ll see roving patrols, both foot as well as vehicular patrols.

I’m sure they’re going to have security helicopters up and other aircraft patrolling that area.

Is there anything that you think is important to say to the public regarding an event like this?

Basham: It’s important that in the aftermath of the Boston situation that people need to continue to go about their daily business but also recognizing that these events are an important part of our country’s heritage and that closing down streets are not to inconvenience the rest of the population … but for the security and safety of everyone involved...

To read the full article, please go to Former head of Secret Service, accomplished author weigh in on Bush Library security.

Source: Dallas Morning News