FBI Security Support for 56th Presidential Inauguration

WASHINGTON—Today the FBI’s Washington Field Office provided a demonstration of the FBI’s tactical response vehicles which will be part of the available for deployment in support of the events culminating in Tuesday’s Presidential Inauguration. These vehicles, on standby for use in the event of a crisis, include a state-of-the-art mobile command post, an armored assault vehicle, WMD response vehicles, evidence recovery team vehicles, and bomb trucks.

Special Agent in Charge John G. Perren, Counterterrorism, Washington Field Office, provided an overview of the FBI’s role in assessing incidents and working with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to quickly and safely resolve them. The tactical vehicles provide the law enforcement agencies with on-the-scene response capabilities. Special agents skilled in incident response, weapons of mass destruction, and bomb detection discussed their roles during the Inauguration.

The United States Secret Service is responsible for overall security of the event. The FBI takes the lead in working to prevent terrorist attacks and in gathering, analyzing, and sharing intelligence related to potential threats. Around the clock leading up to and during the Inauguration, FBI personnel will staff the Washington Field Office’s Command and Tactical Operations Center, as well as the Strategic Information Operations Center at FBI Headquarters. The FBI also will provide support to the United States Secret Service Joint Information Center.

Washington Field Office Special Agent in Charge John Perren (left) and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Andrew McCabe brief reporters on security arrangements for the Inauguration.	FBI agents and support staff work inside the Washington Field Office Command and Technical Operations Center (CTOC).
The FBI Mobile Command Center vehicle	Inside the Mobile Command Center
Bomb Technicians vehicle	Our Evidence Response Team vehicle
The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle	Inside the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle
Bomb containment vessel that transports and detonates explosives	Gear from the Bomb Techs vehicle

“We have hundreds of FBI agents, analysts, and other employees working side-by-side with hundreds of our law enforcement partners to make sure this is a safe event,” said Joseph Persichini, Assistant Director in Charge, Washington Field Office, “We work 24-hours-a-day with our partners to identify, investigate, and respond to any threats that might arise in the National Capital Region.”

The FBI’s response capability includes several pieces of specialty equipment demonstrated today, as well as a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team, the Evidence Response Team, the Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team, the Hazardous Materials Response Team, Special Agent Bomb Technicians, and Crisis Negotiators.

In addition to approximately 700 Washington Field Office and FBI Headquarters employees, agents and other personnel from the FBI’s Philadelphia and Baltimore Field Offices are supporting the pre-Inaugural activities taking place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware; and Baltimore, Maryland.