Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Ottawa on high alert for U.S. president's visit



Email Address: info@chrismathers.com
Related Web Link: www.ctv.ca

 

Parliament Hill is in virtual lockdown, as a massive security operation gets underway for U.S. president Barack Obama's visit to the nation's capital.

Road barriers went up around 7:30 ET this morning, closing off Obama's route from the airport to the downtown core -- though the exact path that Obama's convoy will take is a closely held secret.

The president's specially configured Boeing 747-200B, Air Force One, touches down at the Ottawa airport around 10:30 a.m. ET, amid tough airspace restrictions.

There is a no-fly radius of 12 nautical miles around Parliament Hill, with a ceiling of 12,500 feet. The only exceptions are police and military aircraft, approved emergency or humanitarian flights, and scheduled commercial flights.

Obama's personal limo -- code-named Stagecoach but better known as The Beast - has already arrived in Ottawa and is ready to whisk him to Parliament Hill.

The vehicle, closer to a tank than a car, is hermetically sealed to withstand chemical weapons. It's also fitted with armour-plating and five-inch thick ballistic glass windows that Chris Mathers, an international security expert and former RCMP officer, says is virtually impenetrable.

"You could shoot a direct hit with a bazooka on that thing and it's just going to keep rolling," he told CTV.ca.

Spectators hoping to catch a glimpse of the charismatic president will almost certainly be thwarted by the windows' tinted glass, which will make it difficult to see inside as it speeds along Ottawa's streets.

Along the route -- and the numerous planned alternate routes -- police have already removed all mailboxes and garbage cans and welded down all manhole sewer covers on the streets, lest anyone try to bomb the motorcade on its way to the Hill.

Homeowners and some businesses along the routes have been told they can't open doors or windows when the presidential convoy passes.

There are two to three officers stationed at every intersection along the route and sniper teams have been posted at strategic rooftop locations.

Though the trip will last only six hours, the security measures are expected to cost $2 million. That's more than $5,000 per minute.

Former CSIS agent and security consultant Michel Juneau-Katsuya says all the security plans have had to come together in a matter of about four weeks.

"It's a huge undertaking. The co-ordination needs to take place way before the event takes place, weeks ahead of time. So to be able to do it in literally three weeks you need a machine that is quite well-oiled," he told Canada AM Thursday.

Obama's Secret Service protection has been in Ottawa for the last month preparing for the visit. They will serve as his close protection during the visit and will be armed.

While the Secret Service, the Ottawa city police, and even the Department of National Defence are involved in providing security, the lead agency is the RCMP, which is almost always the agency in charge of such events.

"The protection of VIPs is an RCMP responsibility but they couldn't do it without the co-operation of the other police agencies," Mathers said.

"Ultimately, if there's a problem, it'll be the Mounties fault because they're the ones that are ultimately responsible."

The RCMP will be using the services of the Ottawa Police Services as well as additional officers from as far as London, Ont. The military is also on standby to provide backup in the event of an emergency.

There will be even further security on Parliament Hill, where Obama will meet for talks with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The area will be filled with security officers, both in uniform and in plain clothes, Juneau-Katsuya says.

"They will be infiltrating the crowd, trying to detect elements that might be ready to attack," he says. He notes that even groups who realize that they can't get at Obama himself for an attack might also try to create an explosion anywhere on the Hill site, since that in itself would grab a lot of attention.

Even staff who work in Parliament Hill buildings every day need special accreditation for access to their offices today. Staff have also been encouraged to "limit non-essential visits in their offices," and all have been subjected to special RCMP background checks.

After the talks are over and the press conferences wrapped up, Obama will back to the airport where he will meet with Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.

"It's pretty easy to secure that," Mathers said.

"Plus, they'll probably meet at the Tim Hortons," he joked.