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Release Date: 07/09/03 00:00:00
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 9, 2003
On Wednesday, July 9, Secretary Tom Ridge announced with, Governor George Pataki, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani that the Department of Homeland Security is designating the Republican National Convention in New York a National Special Security Event. The announcement comes as a result of an earlier request by Governor Pataki for special designation of the convention scheduled for the summer of 2004.
"I am pleased to be able to provide the State of New York and the City with the Federal resources necessary to coordinate a safe and symbolic special event with the United States Secret Service, FEMA, the FBI and state and local law enforcement," said Secretary Ridge.
When an event is designated a National Special Security Event, the Secret Service assumes its mandated role as the lead agency for the design and implementation of the operational security plan and Federal resources are deployed to maintain the level of security needed for the event and the area. The Secret Service forms partnerships with state and local law enforcement and other security and public safety officials with the goal of coordinating federal, state and local agencies to provide a safe and secure environment for event participants and the general public.
"The designation of the 2004 Republican National Convention as a National Special Security Event will help ensure that security is clearly coordinated among Federal, State, and City agencies," Governor George E. Pataki said. "The application for the NSSE designation was the result of enormous collaboration between the State and the City, and is another example of the partnered efforts to ensure the security of New York City. I want to thank President Bush and Secretary Ridge for granting this designation and for the Federal resources that will be devoted to securing the Convention."
"We estimate that 48,000 people will attend the Convention including delegates, media representatives and other visitors. It will create thousands of jobs in the months and weeks leading up to and during the event, and generate as much as $260 million in economic activity including up to $10 million in City tax revenue," said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "The convention will also give us a tremendous opportunity to show the world how far we've come since the attack of 9/11 - a tribute to the spirit of a great City in a free nation. I'd like to thank Governor Pataki for requesting the National Special Security Event designation and Secretary Ridge for accepting so that our efforts to put on a great convention goes off without a hitch."
Since 1999, the Secret Service has led security operations at 14 of the National Special Security Events (NSSEs) designated by the President, including the 2000 Republican and Democratic National Conventions, the 2000 Presidential Inauguration, the 2001 United Nations General Assembly, and most recently, the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah and Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans.
This page was last reviewed/modified on 07/09/03 00:00:00.