For Immediate Release
DHS Press Office
Contact: 202-282-8010
WASHINGTON— Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today participated in a conference call with Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell, U.S. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate, Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security Richard Reed, representatives from the Presidential Inaugural Committee and Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, and other officials to discuss security preparations for the 2013 Presidential Inaugural.
“While the Secret Service takes the lead in securing the inaugural, protecting an event this large and complex requires collaboration among many agencies and organizations,” said Secretary Napolitano. “We are appreciative of the many public and private partners working together to secure the 57th Presidential Inaugural.”
The Department of Homeland Security has designated the Presidential Inaugural as a National Special Security Event (NSSE). When an event is designated an NSSE, the U.S. Secret Service assumes the role as the lead federal agency for the design and implementation of the operational security plan. Law enforcement officials from local, state and federal agencies will play a critical operational role in securing Inaugural activities.
The U.S. Secret Service has established a Presidential Inaugural Multi-Agency Communications Center, which will host representatives from 42 agencies, including law enforcement, utility companies, transit authorities, and the military.
Security and transportation plans for the Presidential Inaugural have been developed by a partnership of local, state and federal law enforcement and public safety agencies, including the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Virginia State Police, the Maryland Department of Transportation, the U.S. Secret Service, the MPD, the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Park Police.
For more information, visit www.secretservice.gov.
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