Death and State Funeral of Ronald Reagan - Security Measures

Security Measures

The state funeral marked the first time that Washington hosted a major event since the September 11 attacks. As a result, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designated the state funeral a National Special Security Event (NSSE). Special precautions were taken because many of the events were open to the public and there were multiple protectees. As means of assisting the motorcade, many streets were temporarily blocked off by law enforcement.

Attorney General John Ashcroft told a Senate hearing before the funeral: "It is a sad commentary when the observation of a memorial service for a former president of the United States must be labeled a National Special Security Event. Such is the fact of modern life in Washington and such is the nature of the war against al Qaeda." MPDC Chief Charles H. Ramsey agreed saying, "In a post-9/11 world, we have to be very concerned...and aware of the potential that something could happen, not that we've received any information at all."

However, DHS was handling another NSSE at the same time: the G-8 Summit in Sea Island, Georgia.

During the services, the news media made note that the security measures also made evident that the era of terrorism that the world was experiencing had its roots during the Reagan years. The worst act of terrorism against the United States prior to 9/11, the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 189 Americans, happened during the Reagan years.