The Mythical Democratic- Republican National Convention (DRNC) - Essay Example

The mythical Democratic- Republican National Convention (DRNC) Affiliation: Abstract The following report presented to Major Warren is based on extensive research about the risks associated with the DRNC event in Miami, how the analogy was made in choosing the risks as well as recommendations about the areas that need high monitoring and security which should be taken into account when making the final plans about the event. The population in Miami as well as the high number of security threats in the area should not be left to be handled by only the lea local agency and the lead coordinating agency alone. The recommendations that have been made under critical and abstract research as well as deliberations should not be taken lightly as they will affect the overall security of the event. Introduction The DNRC is a highly publicized event which will attract a lot of media attention and a large number of spectators, participants as well as protestors. The venue and location of the meeting in Miami and American Airlines Arena respectively have been under terrorist threats among other high threats and vulnerability as well as consequences. As a result of these threats and high consequences, security needs to be highly beefed before and during the event by not only the Miami Dade and US Secret Service but by all the members of the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force. The recommendations provided by this risk analysis will come in handy in not only the planning but the final actionable intelligence that will be carried out during the DRNC event. Discussion Identify and rank in order the risks associated with the DRNC The risks associated with the DRNC event being hosted in Miami include: terrorist attack, cyclone attack, violence by protestors, bomb detonation. When ranked the terrorist attack is top on the list and is closely followed by the bomb attack. With the large number of protestors expected at the event, their violence is next on the risk order and lastly is the cyclone risk. Explain your methodology-of the risk analysis process The risk analysis and the order of the ranking of the risks were brought about by an examination of the threats, the vulnerabilities as well as the consequences based on the infrastructural assets present in Miami. These infrastructural assets examined included the Art Museum, Dolphin Stadium, the Interstate I-395, the US Southern Command Headquarters (SOUTHCOM), the Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Port of Miami, the Florida Power & Light Turkey Point Nuclear Facility, Miami International Airport, Hotel Row and Bicentennial Part as well as the venue of the event which is the American Airlines Arena. Not all of these areas are under threats and not all of them are vulnerable. According to the confidential threats report collected by the Miami Dade as well as the Joint Terrorism Task Force, there have been non specified terrorist as well as bombing threat reports associated with airport, sporting event and even to the US Southern Command Headquarters. None of these have however been confirmed as the information has mostly been spread through the grapevine but it should not been taken lightly nevertheless (Warner, 2012). Some of the areas have less vulnerability than others due to the level of security present in these locations as well as the reduction in the population of the areas. Areas such as the US Southern Command Headquarters has high levels of security as it is a military facility and this reduces its vulnerability number but it still does not eliminate it from the risk list. The Miami International Airport also has high levels of security surveillance as it is an international hub in the US and is therefore highly and heavily guarded minimizing its vulnerability in either a bomb or terrorist attack. The vulnerability level in the American Airlines Arena, the Dolphins Stadium, the Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Hotel Row or even Bicentennial Park are not really high marking these areas as high in vulnerability (Hayes, 2012). When it comes to the consequences, there are areas with low and high consequences in the mentioned infrastructural assets if any attack was to be directed towards them. These areas include the Art Museum, the Interstate I-395, the Dolphin Stadium, and Miami River and to a smaller extent the Bicentennial Park (though because of the high threat, the risk slightly increases than in the other areas under low and moderate consequences). The rest of the infrastructural assets (American Airlines Arena, Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Hotel Row, US Southern Command Headquarters, the Port of Miami, the Florida Power & Light Turkey Point Nuclear Facility and the Miami International Airport) have been marked as high consequence areas based on both intrinsic and symbolic evaluation (Straight, 2012). How you arrived at your conclusions The ranking of the risks have been reached through close and critical examination of the threats and vulnerabilities which in turn led to creation of the likelihood of an attack. The likelihood and the consequences are the formula for any risk and this is what has led to the conclusion. The threats report have indicated of various terrorist threats to the areas marked as high risk areas and those mentioned above. Since there have been several terrorist threats, the terrorist threats therefore take the center stage in the risk factors. This is closely followed by the risk of bombs especially the homemade bombs still from the reports. The fact that the protestors groups include the groups known for their violence poses another risk. The last risk is that of a cyclone taking place. The weather department’s reports indicate a 10% probability of a tropical cyclone taking place during the month of the event. As for the areas that are likely to be high risk areas and should be put under security considerations during the planning are those that have a combination of high consequences and high likelihood to be under attack (Nuñez, 2012). Recommendations The recommendations based on the risk analysis include that high security personnel should be deployed in the Bicentennial Park since it will be hosting over 20, 000 protestors who may be targets for a terrorist or bombing attack as well as to prevent them from becoming too violent and disrupting the meeting. The same security personnel with assistance from the security cameras should monitor the Hotel Row which will be housing the dignitaries and media personnel. Majority of the security parameters from the air surveillance to concrete barriers, bomb screening and experts to CCTV cameras and anti-terrorism forces should be present in the arena. There should also be set aside corridors and areas for mass evacuation and mass casualty treatment in case of any attack. The fire department should also be on the forefront with their evacuation skills to lend a hand in case of any risk. Relation to allocation of resources during the planning Relation to allocation of resources during the planning During the planning and resource allocation process, the planning committee and sub-committee should make considerations of the number of security forces need with different expertise from ground to air surveillance as well as minimal marine surveillance for the sake of the Port of Miami even though its risks are limited. The budget on security should amount the larger part of the planning resources as state of the art closed circuit video surveillance and bomb equipment should be on the budget. Security similar to that present in the airport should be present in order to screen each and every person entering the arena for any weapon or suspicious device. Conclusion In conclusion, the combination of the threats, the vulnerabilities and the consequence of the threats happening have led to the identification and ranking of the risk factors and infrastructural assets that need to be considered during planning. The recommendations made are specific enough for the planning committee to consider in their budgetary allocations if curbing of the risks is to not only be effective but efficient as well. References DRNC Convention. (2012). Overarching Theme. Florida. DRNC. (2012). DRNC Host Committee task Force. Florida. DRNC. (2012). DRNC Layout in Downtown Miami. Florida. DRNC. (2012). Information and Collaborative Networks. Florida. Hayes, F. (2012). Vulnerability Assessment Report. Florida. Nuñez, E. L. (2012). Imagery as a Factor for Assessing Risk. Florida: Saint Leo University. Straight, M. (2012). Consequence Assessment Report. Florida. Warner, M. (2012). Threat Assessment Report. Florida. Read More