NCJ Number
129964
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 39 Issue: 5 Dated: (May 1991) Pages: 66-70
Date Published
1991
Length
5 pages
Annotation
In May 1990, the sheriff's department in Dakota County, Minnesota, was given four days to prepare for providing security to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.
Abstract
The detail was divided into two teams, one to ensure perimeter security and the second to handle route security. Based on Mr. Gorbachev's original intention to visit a private farmhouse, the plan included an inner security perimeter at the farmhouse as well as two outer security perimeters. Although the visit never occurred, the sheriff, along with the Secret Service agents involved in the preparations, have offered advice to other law enforcement officers preparing security for public figures. Departments can participate in seminars operated by the Secret Service which spell out the agency's philosophy of security and how to cooperate with the Secret Service in preparing security plans. Key people in the department should be identified in advance, and airport security plans established. Traffic control experts should concentrate on the most frequently used motorcade routes in the area and a central communications command post should be created. VIP logistics planning is essential and must include designating a reserve force, coordinating plans with other agencies, and conducting a dry run of the operation.