Safe City Technologies Will Secure US Presidential Inauguration

Safe City Technologies Will Secure US Presidential Inauguration

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Various measures will be involved in the securing of the upcoming US Presidential inauguration event, turning Washington, DC into a platform for Safe City technologies.

The technology of CNL Software, specializing in Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) software, will be utilized as part of the multi-agency security program at the event, which will attract large numbers of people coming from across the country and from abroad.

The company’s IPSecurityCenter PSIM solution has been deployed in Washington, DC to help secure the city, keep its transportation facilities and networks operational and the people that rely on them safe, as well as to make sense of the huge volume of data and video intelligence generated during inaugural activities.

According to securityinfowatch.com, event security agencies are responsible for the safety of the public, security and law enforcement and counterterrorism activities during what may be the most dynamic threat environment in the history of the U.S. “As with all major events, security is a huge concern” comments Mike Mostow, General Manager at CNL Software. “IPSecurityCenter is deployed in Washington, DC, providing real-time situational awareness and decision support to security and law enforcement personnel during large scale special security events like the Inauguration. The system allows multi-level collaboration between and across the various safety, security, law enforcement and emergency management agencies working to protect the President and others attending inaugural activities, its spectators, and the wider public.”

“Aside from the threat of a major incident, there are more frequent public safety and security incidents to consider. From monitoring crowds and the accurate and early detection of incidents to enabling rapid post-event forensics, the system offers comprehensive situational awareness and intelligence to bolster security. Having more digital eyes on the ground becomes a force multiplier to help identify and resolve security incidents faster and more incisively.”

The company’s technology is deployed in cities, critical resources and global commerce sites in some of the largest public security programs today in global cities. It allows the intelligent integration of the widest range of security and homeland defense technologies such as video surveillance and analytics, facial recognition, license plate recognition, crowd monitoring, gunshot detection, chemical, biological, radiological/nuclear and explosives detection, geospatial mapping and asset tracking.

This Safe City technology will be part of the overall effort which will include thousands of law enforcement personnel, National Guard troops, fences, magnetometers and cement-laden trucks. A Multi-Agency Communications Center at a secret location in Virginia will monitor the event, according to npr.org.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said officials expect from 700,000 to 900,000 spectators to attend the Inauguration Day ceremonies. He said 99 groups are expected to rally in favor of or against the new president.

Johnson said the “global terrorist environment is very different” this year compared to 2009 or 2013, at Barack Obama’s inaugurations. He said law enforcement has to be concerned with homegrown violent extremism, acts of so-called lone wolves and people who have self-radicalized.

“Hard perimeter areas” where non-government vehicles will not be permitted, will be fortified by dump trucks, heavy trucks loaded with cement, and buses, Johnson said. “That is a precaution that we are doubling down on, in particular this inauguration.”

There are also concerns about possible airborne threats. Noting the airspace above Washington is already off-limits to drone flights, (as well as most other air traffic), Johnson said unauthorized flights are “something we have planned for, and there is technology to deal with it.”