Security tightened for Netanyahu's visit

Penn Police and the Israeli Secret Service are two agencies working to make sure things go smoothly. University Police are teaming up with a handful of local, national and international security agencies to ensure that former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has a quiet and incident-free visit to Penn tonight. Netanyahu, who is Connaissance's annual fall speaker, is scheduled to appear tonight in Irvine Auditorium at 8 p.m. University Police will join members of the Philadelphia Police Department's Dignitary Protection Unit, the U.S. State Department, the federal Diplomatic Security Service and the Israeli Secret Service at the event. According to University Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Tom King, security at the event will be "omnipresent," as is the case whenever a foreign dignitary comes to campus. "The thing that makes this somewhat remarkable, not unique, is the number of agencies involved," King said, adding that the preparation for Netanyahu's visit was "certainly higher than for the average speaker." University Police Chief Maureen Rush confirmed that her force would "absolutely" devote additional patrol to tonight's event but refused to give an exact figure for security reasons. She added that both plainclothes and uniformed officers would be present, as well as members of Penn's Detective Unit. Yesterday, University Police and the other agencies participated in a walk-through of Irvine -- something King described as a "walking brainstorming session with a lot of what-ifs." Although King said he could not comment on specific issues, he noted that Irvine, which was originally constructed in 1927, is not the most ideal place for a former head of state to speak. "From a security standpoint, it's a challenging building," King said. "It was designed for aesthetics, not with security concerns in mind. It poses some unique challenges. It's a labyrinth, a real maze." Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. to accommodate mandatory metal detector screenings and bag checks. Though bags are not prohibited, King warned that too many people with bags would significantly slow down the entry process. Connaissance Co-Chairperson Theo LeCompte, an Engineering junior, said winners of last week's ticket lottery were notified of the security measures by e-mail last night. Thus far, King said, coordination between the various security agencies has run very smoothly. "It's good working with other groups," King said. "They have different eyes for different issues. And it results in a pretty comprehensive plan for prevention and a good contingency plan in the event that things don't go according to plan." University Police are no strangers to high-profile guests, as Penn has played host to several influential political speakers in the past few years. In October 1996, during the final weeks of his re-election campaign, President Clinton spoke at Hill Field in front of more than 15,000 people. A year later, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton addressed a capacity crowd in the Zellerbach Theatre. And in 1997, Chinese President Jiang Zemin spoke at an invitation-only function in the University Museum. But, because of Netanyahu's connection to the often-controversial Israel, his visit is different. Rush pointed to a religiously motivated shooting this summer in a Los Angeles Jewish day care center as reason to take extra precaution. "We've heightened our efforts on events that have [an] ethnic or racial connection" since that shooting, Rush said.

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