Terror Prep for Funeral

[Texsox]

For Lyndon B. Johnson's funeral here in 1973, security consisted primarily of police officers at the viewing, the service, the airport and the routes in between. The officers did not have radiation detectors on their belts, automatic weapons on their shoulders or gas masks at the ready.

 

As official Washington prepares to pay tribute to former President Ronald Reagan at its first state funeral in more than 30 years, the threat of terrorism looms large over three days of events starting Wednesday. Though the police say there is no specific indication that the events will be targets, the presence of almost every major federal officeholder, hundreds of foreign dignitaries and thousands of onlookers has the authorities moving into overdrive.

 

"For L.B.J.'s funeral, the only security was police with sidearms," said Richard A. Baker, the Senate historian. "That was about as sophisticated as it got. It was nothing compared to the sophistication and the resources we have today."

 

Led by the Secret Service, local police departments, government agencies and the military are canceling days off and scrambling to deploy thousands of people. There will be snipers on rooftops, bomb-sniffing dogs on the ground, plainclothes officers roaming the crowds and helicopter surveillance - and that is just what might be seen. The authorities also promise covert efforts, as well as teams of specialists in the wings to deal with everything from a nuclear response to chemical dangers.

 

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