Security In The Nations Capital And The Closure Of Pennsylvania Avenue

An assessment of possible ways in which Pennsylvania Avenue could have been reopened without compromising the safety and security of the President prior to September 11. The context and circumstances that influenced the 1995 decision to close the section of Pennsylvania Avenue directly in front of the White House are examined, along with that decision's continued validity and appropriateness in light of developments, including trends in terrorism, since 1995.

Acts of terrorism are not a new threat to Washington, D.C. Over the last two centuries, there have been several organized terrorist attacks, as well as numerous assaults by unstable individuals acting alone, that have targeted the White House and U.S. Capitol building and the President or U.S. Congressmen within the city limits of the District of Columbia. It was not, however, until the 1980s that such incidents evoked heightened security around the White House, initiating a process of fortification that culminated with President Clinton's decision in April 1995 to close the section of Pennsylvania Avenue running in front of the Mansion. The research reported here considers how Pennsylvania Avenue can be re-opened while still ensuring to the greatest extent possible the safety and security of the President of the United States. The study was conducted as part of a project entitled, "Assessment of Physical Security Measures," within RAND's Criminal Justice Research Program. This work is being carried out as part of a larger undertaking by the Federal City Council a nonprofit, nonpartisan, Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to the improvement of the Nation's Capital aimed at reassessing and reconsidering the physical security measures that have been imposed on the District of Columbia in recent years. This document is a revised version of a previous draft that was reviewed by the client. It is currently being reviewed internally as part of RAND's quality assurance process and will shortly be published in final form as a Monograph Report (MR).