CHICAGO (WLS) — The U.S. Secret Service says it has spent the past six months developing security plans for the opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center, where former presidents, first ladies, foreign dignitaries, celebrities and other high-profile guests are expected to attend.
Officials said the area around the center will be protected by a layered security perimeter featuring steel barricades, advanced technology and experienced personnel.
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“This is no one’s first rodeo. Everyone’s been through this before, you know, planned other large events, and we’ve had a lot of time, put in a lot of time,” said Acting Special Agent-in-Charge James Morley of the U.S. Secret Service’s Chicago Field Office.
Morley said the security operation will include vehicle screening checkpoints, anti-climb fencing and a temporary flight restriction in effect from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday. He added that both visible and covert resources will be used throughout the event.
“We have tactical assets there, some that the public will see, some that they won’t. We will have drones there providing overwatch,” Morley said.
Street closures near the center are expected to be finished by 6 a.m. Wednesday, and pedestrian access in the surrounding area will also be limited.
Because the ceremony will be held outdoors, planners have also focused on potential risks posed by nearby high-rise buildings.
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“Every window facing where that ceremony is going to take place presents a potential threat, so that was something that we had to mitigate. We mitigated that utilizing some technical assets as well as some innovative things we came up, specific for the opening there,” Morley said.
Security preparations also include the use of “dignitary armored vehicles,” or DAVs, which will transport those under Secret Service protection. The vehicles are designed to withstand serious threats.
“So bulletproof, blast proof, equipped with very thick windows. We don’t roll these windows down,” Morley said.
According to Morley, protectees will travel in one vehicle while a separate, fully armed vehicle carrying agents follows behind.
“Our weapons ride in that vehicle,” he said. “If we’re we’re attacked, the armor should protect people that are inside.”
The Secret Service, which is working in partnership with the Chicago Police Department, Illinois State Police, and other agencies, said it aims to minimize disruptions while maintaining security, emphasizing that the measures are intended to protect not only event guests but also the public and nearby residents during the high-profile ceremony.
“We want to make sure that we’re impacting the public as least as possible. We also want to make sure that we’re protecting the public, so it’s not just the people that are attending the event. It’s the neighbors that live in that area, the spectators that are coming out to experience this historic event,” he said.
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