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Security to be far less than for the Olympics
By Derek Jensen
Deseret News staff writer
It's almost back to normal for Utah police.
After an unprecedented number of military and law enforcement for the 2002 Winter Games, security for the upcoming Paralympics will feature only a fraction of the manpower and resources that were in place for the Olympics.
Fewer athletes and fewer visitors mean less of a security headache for public-safety planners and less intrusive measures for spectators.
"It's going to be more like attending a concert or a major sporting event," Utah Olympic Public Safety Command spokeswoman Tammy Palmer said.
More than 12,000 police and military personnel from roughly 60 federal, state and local agencies patrolled the Olympics. That number is down to about 200 state and local police along with about 5 percent of the National Guard troops that were part of Olympic security.
Because the Olympics were designated a National Special Security Event, the U.S. Secret Service was charged with helping develop the operational security plan for the Games. Secret Service agents also handled perimeter security at all venues, which included highly trained snipers. Those assets are all gone now.
"We don't have a role in the Paralympics," Secret Service spokesman Marc Connolly said. Other federal agencies, like the FBI, have scaled back the number of agents for the Paralympics.
And other than a 1 1/2-mile temporary flight restriction around the Olympic Village during the Paralympics, the tightened air space around Salt Lake and other Olympic venues is gone. Regular air patrols that were in place for the Games are also gone, Palmer said.
The perimeter around the village extends up to 8,000 feet and is restricted to aircraft for other than for medical or law enforcement purposes. The restrictions went into effect Tuesday at 6 am. and will continue until March 17 at noon.
If an airborne threat does arise during the Paralympics, more flight restrictions could be quickly implemented through a notice to airmen, said Jim Pyles, regional flight standards Olympic coordinator for the Federal Aviation Administration.
"Those restrictions are not always put up for a security threat," Pyles said. "They are put up sometimes for safety because of the congestion from people that fly around trying to take pictures."
The Utah Highway Patrol's Mounted Horse Patrol was a regular fixture in downtown Salt Lake and at other venues during the Olympics. For now, though, the mounted officers are only scheduled to work opening ceremonies at Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah.
"After that we're going to work with the local people and see what we can do to help out if they need us," UHP Sgt. Doug McCleve said.
The facial recognition that had been slated for use at the E Center during the Olympics but was ordered turned off by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee will not be used until after the Paralympics, West Valley Police Chief Alan Kerstein said. The Olympic Coordination Center, the clearinghouse for security information with video links to various spots along the Olympic theaterTheater, was operating 24 hours a day during the Games. That will not be the case during the Paralympics, Palmer said.
E-MAIL: djensen@desnews.com
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March 6, 2002
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