Inauguration Security Gets a Second Hard Look

Inauguration Security Gets a Second Hard Look

Things will be different on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20. They better be considering the riotous events on Jan. 6, when protestors rushed the Capitol and broke into congressional chambers.

President-elect Joe Biden has been duly elected the next president of the United States and will be sworn in as such. However his inaugural planning team, which was challenged already, thanks to a global pandemic and civil unrest thanks to Donald Trump, security ramped up even more.

Biden said after the attack on the Capitol, that this was “an assault on our democracy.” Safety and security plans are getting a reassessment, though a complete overhaul will not be necessary.

“The great American tradition of an inaugural ceremony has occurred in times of peace, in times of turmoil, in times of prosperity, and in times of adversity,” Sens. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), of the committee, said in reaffirming their commitment to the ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol.

Staffmembers working on the Inauguration have said the maintaining public safety and any angry and violent protestors away from the area. Biden also expressed confidence that events would be safe and secure. “The American people are going to stand up. Enough is enough is enough,” he said.

Security staff have been preparing for months in anticipation of this event, and because of recent activity, Capitol Police are likely to be replaced with thousands of other law enforcement officials. An inauguration most often includes several federal agencies coordinating efforts to establish security perimeters, and focus on terrorist threats and crisis management.

If anything, Wednesday’s events may have helped planners to understand where security must be placed, and the need for additional law enforcement on station prior to the swearing-in ceremony. Already in place is a seven-foot-tall fence around the Capitol, which will remain in place for at least a month.

Key Republicans will be present at this event, and have already pledged to attend. Also attending will be former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura. Vice President Mike Pence is expected to attend as well.

Featured

  • NOLA: The Crescent City

    Twenty years later we finds ourselves in New Orleans. Twenty years ago the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced exhibitors and attendees to look elsewhere for tradeshow floor space. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • Nothing Artificial About this Intelligence

    I have been looking forward to this year’s GSX show in New Orleans, the Cresent City, or if you prefer The Big Easy. It seems like quite a while since we’ve been here. Twenty years ago, ASIS, as it was known then was literally washed out of the city by someone known as Katrina. It is a good thing to come back to NOLA. Read Now

  • From Monitors to Mission Control

    Security Operations Centers (SOC) were once defined by rows of static monitors, each displaying a single feed with operators quietly watching for issues. That model has become obsolete. Incidents evolve too quickly, data comes from multiple locations, and decisions must be made in seconds—not minutes. Read Now

  • New Gas Monkey Garage Venue Uses AI-Enhanced Video Technology

    Gas Monkey Garage, the automotive custom shop and entertainment brand founded by Richard Rawlings of Fast N’ Loud TV fame, has opened a vibrant new restaurant and bar in South Dakota, equipped with advanced, AI-enhanced video tech from IDIS Americas. Read Now

  • Data Driven, Proactive Response

    As cities face rising demands for smarter policing and faster emergency response, Real Time Crime Centers (RTCCs) are emerging as essential hubs for data-driven public safety. In this interview, two experts with deep field experience — Ross Bourgeois of New Orleans and Dean Cunningham of Axis Communications — draw on decades of operational, leadership and technology expertise to share how RTCCs are transforming public safety through innovation, interagency collaboration and a relentless focus on community impact. Read Now

New Products

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.