Heightened Security on Parade

Local, state and federal authorities are planning extra security for the upcoming Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game, deploying more than 1,000 officers, restricting access to key areas and starting a program similar to Neighborhood Watch for the army of visitors in motor homes.

Among the most dramatic security measures will occur near Orange Grove and Colorado boulevards, where floats, bands and other units make the famous televised turn onto the main parade route on New Year’s Day.

For the first time, the area near Colorado and Orange Grove will be restricted to grandstand ticket holders and those with special passes. In the past, parade-watchers could gather along some curbs in that area.

The area will be sealed off from 4 a.m. to noon on parade day. Anyone entering the area, where VIPs sit and television cameras capture the spectacle, will be searched by police.

Although authorities would not release specifics, there will be more uniformed officers on hand than ever before. Joining Pasadena police will be the usual contingent of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies, the California Highway Patrol, as well as the addition of Irvine police.

Dozens of law enforcement officials also will be working undercover at the parade and the Jan. 3 football game, mingling with the crowd as they keep watch.

Cameras will monitor events inside and outside the Rose Bowl. All fans will be searched before entering the stadium.

“There are a number of security measures we have taken, most of which will be invisible to the public,” said Pasadena Police Chief Bernard K. Melekian. “The president of the United States has asked us to get on with our lives, and going to the Rose Parade is a great way to get on with your life.”

The measures are being instituted in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, but Melekian stressed that authorities have not received threats against the parade or game and that he is in constant contact with federal authorities.

FBI special agents and counter-terrorism specialists will be in the shadows during the New Year’s events, police and federal officials said. Understandably, authorities would not reveal all their preparations, but for soccer’s 1994 World Cup final, police say, an FBI tactical weapons team practiced rope descents from the top of the Rose Bowl.

Melekian said that, in the spirit of homeland security, the public can help serve as the eyes and ears of law enforcement.

Pasadena police are enlisting owners of motor homes parked along the route into a Parade Watch beginning Dec. 26. RV owners, much like residents in Neighborhood Watch, will be asked to report suspicious activity.

Citizen volunteers with the Pasadena police will visit every motor home along the route to discuss the program, handing out commemorative decals in appreciation of the effort.

For the first time, RVs left unattended overnight may be towed, Cmdr. Mary Schander said. Traditionally, the city has suspended enforcement of its overnight parking law during the days leading up to the parade.

Vehicles parked within a block of the parade, she said, may also be subject to searches, with particular attention to trucks and motor homes.

Officials at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses say they have put in place several changes at the suggestion of the Pasadena police, including a tighter process of identification.

“Pasadena police are used to handling large-scale events such as Super Bowl, World Cup and the Tournament of Roses Parade. So we have every confidence in their professionalism,” said Bill Flinn, the tournament’s chief financial officer.

The Federal Aviation Administration has banned aircraft from flying within 3 miles of the parade route below 5,000 feet.

Security around the flotilla of floats that grinds its way to Orange Grove on New Year’s Eve, Schander said, will be tightened, with guards watching over every float until the parade kicks off.

Pasadena police may not be as tolerant toward the thousands of parade-goers who camp out along the route and, over the years, have been known to become rowdy. Schander said this year, officers will promptly remove anyone disturbing the peace or breaking the law.

The department is hoping to draw on parade-goers’ patriotism to reduce the amount of rowdy behavior. Schander said it is hoping local radio stations will play patriotic music around the New Year’s hour.

Schander said police are discouraging those seated in the main grandstands at Orange Grove and Colorado from bringing large bags, backpacks or coolers. “There is little room, and searches will take a lot longer,” Schander said.

Parade-goers, she said, should also consider getting to their seats for the 8 a.m. parade much earlier than in years past.

The same goes for those attending the game, where traffic is expected to add to the problems. As at recent UCLA football games, fans of Miami and Nebraska will not be allowed to bring backpacks, large handbags, banners or coolers into the stadium.

Since Sept. 11, dogs capable of sniffing explosives have patrolled the Rose Bowl before events, said Pasadena Deputy Fire Marshal Scott Pursell. “They will again before this game.

“The stadium was pretty lax on security before 9/11 when there was not a game, but now you cannot get anywhere without an ID,” he said.

Pursell said his department and federal authorities have plans to deal with almost any event. “We have contingency plans for multiple casualties,” he said. “We amassed a cache of supplies and have decontamination equipment.”