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Show 6 MONDAY, JANUARY 7, THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE 2002 If X I ii f J I f T t I I i' f if n&w s y i ' ,. t " p ' ) ( ... " - ! Chronicle News Writer r S Additional security cameras dot campus in preparations for U Hosi -- St IS the Games. ty To Tighten I or uames Animal Resource Service considered irradiating all mail going to the Olympic Village, Center Called an according to Stanton, but cannot get the necessary equipment To expedite delivery from suppliers and package shipping services, officials considered implepromenting a gram. Each vendor would certify the packages by inspecting the content and then sealing them before delivery. Stanton said the idea didn't pass mustard with the Secret Service, which is responsible for the athletes' safety. Wildcards in security threats are the animal rights protesters. Salt Lake Organizing Committee President Mitt Romney recently said these groups pose the biggest threat to the Games. The Animal Resource Center (ARC), located in upper campus, houses many of the animals used in biomedical research, making it a possible tar- 'Ongoing Concern' "self-certificatio-n" ALEX LEE Chronicle News Writer Security is always important at the Olympic Games, but after the recent terrorist incidents, everyone is especially on edge. The Health Sciences Center at the U requires additional attention because the Olympic Village, where all the athletes live, is next door at Fort Douglas. Both the University Hospital and Primary Children's Medical Center will remain open during the Games, so traffic around upper campus will remain high, "There are 3,500 athletes in the Village," said Sgt Dan Stanton of the U Police Department "Their security is almost to the level of the President of the United States." The UUPD and Campus Security have been working with government agencies to implement new security measures in upper campus. Many of the buildings, including the hospital, require stiff to wear photo identification badges at all times. The buildings also n have longer periods when staff can enter only with their badges. During the Games, roads leading to upper campus will have "sanitation points," where guards will inspect cars for suspicious content. "Don't bring a car like you're living out of it," Stanton advised. The guards will check "anything bigger than a brcadbox." A difficult issue is the delivery of packages and mall The US. Postal lock-dow- get for protesters-It'- s an on-goi- ng concern for us," said Lt Kevin Nollenberg. UUPD's public information officer for the Health Sciences Center, Nollenberg prefers keeping the ARC out of the media but offers that ARC has implemented new surveillance technology In recent years. "I feel pretty good about it," said Nollenberg, who recalls only one minor incident there in recent years. "The protests will probably be in the city." As with Nollenberg, U officials cannot divulge de tails of all security measures, but feel ready for the challenge. Stanton feels comfortable enough to make fun of all the paranoia and the level of security on campus before all the improvements. "The Taliban would have killed to face the kind of security we had here," Stanton joked. 3leePchron'iciQ.ul3h.odii One month away from the Opening Ceremony the Olympic presence can be seen across campus not in the form of athletes and spectators, but in fences and tents. Olympic security is always a big priority. But the events of Sept. 11 shook the nation and sparked an avalanche of safety concerns leading to changes in legislation and policy across the government nation. Last week, federal officials banned all flights into or out of Salt Lake City International Airport during Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The Federal Aviation Administration also restricted private flights during the Games, creradius restricted airating a Salt Lake City. around area space y Officials created the zone to eliminate the possibility of another terrorist attack. As the site for many Olympic activities, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the Athletes' Village, many U employees have expressed concern about safety during the Games. Near the end of October, U President Bernie Machen forwarded an email from SLOC President Mitt Romney to all U employees. In that letter Machen added a note of understanding. He sympathized with staff concerned about their safety during the Olympics. "We are confident that the appropriate plans are in place to ensure the safety and security of faculty, staff and students as well as the U's buildings. Although no one can 45-mi- has received briefings on security measures. Last month, Machen expressed his confidence in the established system. "There won't be a safer place to who work in the park will be asked to keep their cars clean from clut- be," he said. As for now, inside and out Trustees Machen JAKE PARKINSON .. 1 "iiimjiffrljC ' - c(S i o n 'V. le no-fl- security fences line the streets and borders of Heritage Commons. The gates to many of the entrances remain closed and closely monitored by security officers. Along the south side of campus, near the stadium, temporary fences line entrances and parking lots where the gates wait for their Olympic takeover. Wayne McCormack, director of the U's Office of Olympic Coordination, suspects that during the month break for the Games campus will stay relatively calm. "After class has ended Feb. 1, and the Opening Ceremony ends, things will quiet down until the Closing Ceremony," McCormack said. Many U official say campus will lay empty similar to the break between Fall and Spring Semesters. However, many employees must work. The University Hospital will remain open along with Research Park. On Wasatch Drive, employees ter. Security personnel will stop these employees on their way to work. Their cars will be searched - on a daily basis. These searches are necessary because of the close proximity between the park and the Village, U Police Chief Ben Lemmon said. Lemmon has met frequently with members of the FBI and Secret Service. He said surveillance cameras also dot the U. Although he would not give the location of these cameras or say specifically where they are aimed, Lemmon did report that the monitoring is not exclusive to the stadium and Village. Security will tighten when the athletes staying in the village walk down to the stadium Feb. 8 for the Opening Ceremony, Lemmon would not disclose the path they would take, but said it would be fenced and heavily guarded. Military personnel will operate the metal detectors at the entrances and exits of the Village, said David Tubbs, executive director of UOPSC. see SECURITY, page 7 guarantee that a terrorist attack will not occur during the Olympics, we do believe that such an occurrence is unlikely and that all possible steps are being taken to prevent such a thing," Machen said. In total, almost $300 million will be spent on security the most ever for the Games. It's a price that needs to be paid, Romney said. The Utah Olympic Public Safety Command, a collaborative security team created from local police agencies (including the U Police Department), the Secret Service and FBI, is in charge of keeping the Olympics safe. After years of planning and mo-tof training, Romney b aeves UOPSC is prepared to handle anything. More importantly, he said, the teams are trained to prevent anything. The Secret Service developed the security plan for the Games. Their plan includes preventing humans carrying bombs or weapons, hijacked aircraft, poisoned water or food supplies, biological and chemical weapons, vehicles carrying bombs or other weapons, attacks on hazardous materials sites and more. As a member of SLOC's Board of hs J . y -- J '' A ! u Z o ' w . ,i f. r i i Iu V x 3 O ii X I w . ' 11 rn ."' ,;mmmmt.; Security fences enclose the Olympic Village from the outside world. ' J ft W POOR |
