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Security at Home Increasing

Aired March 19, 2003 - 13:21   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: More police are patrolling the New York subways right now. You can't walk in front of the White House, and if you go to Disney World or Disneyland, you won't see small planes overhead, thanks to some new airspace restrictions.
CNN's Patty Davis joining us from the nation's capital with more on the pre-war security crackdown -- hello, Patty.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles. Well, very visible signs of extra security here in Washington, D.C. Heavily armed police at the U.S. capital. An increased police presence, also, at some bridges, tunnels, around Amtrak, around D.C.'s Metro as well. Security also beefed up around the perimeter of the White House.

As you said, Miles, they have -- they're not allowing pedestrians now on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, one of those security measures that went into effect with the orange alert. The White House has also canceled tours. The only tours that had been allowed before the orange alert went into place were school groups. And Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge said today that the U.S. is getting better and better prepared every day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM RIDGE, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Since September 11, as we've monitored al Qaeda's activity, as we've learned more and more about that terrorist organization, that they have sought, and said they would use chemical, biological, radiological weapons. We also know since September 11, 2001 this country, at the federal level, the state level, the local level, within the private sector, the entire country has been engaged in improving its security and taking preventive measures against that kind of attack. We get stronger every single day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: A big relief for police and for commuters today, the North Carolina tobacco farmer that had been holding police at bay, he had driven his tractor on into a pond close to the Washington Monument surrendered about an hour and a half ago. He had been saying that he had explosives in that truck, and he was trying to make a point that tobacco farmers -- the plight of the tobacco farmers needed to be improved. The standoff lasted three days and snarled traffic. We're told now that the roads are starting to open again, and they are checking that tractor for explosives -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: That must be a big relief because that was certainly a drain on the security forces there that could be better used doing some other things that are more important, more pressing.

Patty, let's just talk for a moment. In addition to being a government town, it is also a tourist town. It's got to be bad for business.

DAVIS: Well, and the D.C. mayor says he is, indeed, worried about that. You saw a big drop in tourism after September 11. The concern, he said yesterday, was that you are going to see some drop again with the threat of war.

And if there is war, we would see a drop. But I'll tell you, the tourism industry here in Washington is telling us they're not seeing a drop in the hotel occupancy rates, or the numbers of people coming to Washington, D.C. And the people that we're talking to, are actually here today, are saying that they just want to go on and live their lives. They're not going to let terrorists, they're not going to let war get in the way of that. So they're just enjoying themselves here in Washington today -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Somebody say amen to that. Thank you very much. Patty Davis in Washington.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired March 19, 2003 - 13:21   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: More police are patrolling the New York subways right now. You can't walk in front of the White House, and if you go to Disney World or Disneyland, you won't see small planes overhead, thanks to some new airspace restrictions.
CNN's Patty Davis joining us from the nation's capital with more on the pre-war security crackdown -- hello, Patty.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles. Well, very visible signs of extra security here in Washington, D.C. Heavily armed police at the U.S. capital. An increased police presence, also, at some bridges, tunnels, around Amtrak, around D.C.'s Metro as well. Security also beefed up around the perimeter of the White House.

As you said, Miles, they have -- they're not allowing pedestrians now on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, one of those security measures that went into effect with the orange alert. The White House has also canceled tours. The only tours that had been allowed before the orange alert went into place were school groups. And Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge said today that the U.S. is getting better and better prepared every day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM RIDGE, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Since September 11, as we've monitored al Qaeda's activity, as we've learned more and more about that terrorist organization, that they have sought, and said they would use chemical, biological, radiological weapons. We also know since September 11, 2001 this country, at the federal level, the state level, the local level, within the private sector, the entire country has been engaged in improving its security and taking preventive measures against that kind of attack. We get stronger every single day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: A big relief for police and for commuters today, the North Carolina tobacco farmer that had been holding police at bay, he had driven his tractor on into a pond close to the Washington Monument surrendered about an hour and a half ago. He had been saying that he had explosives in that truck, and he was trying to make a point that tobacco farmers -- the plight of the tobacco farmers needed to be improved. The standoff lasted three days and snarled traffic. We're told now that the roads are starting to open again, and they are checking that tractor for explosives -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: That must be a big relief because that was certainly a drain on the security forces there that could be better used doing some other things that are more important, more pressing.

Patty, let's just talk for a moment. In addition to being a government town, it is also a tourist town. It's got to be bad for business.

DAVIS: Well, and the D.C. mayor says he is, indeed, worried about that. You saw a big drop in tourism after September 11. The concern, he said yesterday, was that you are going to see some drop again with the threat of war.

And if there is war, we would see a drop. But I'll tell you, the tourism industry here in Washington is telling us they're not seeing a drop in the hotel occupancy rates, or the numbers of people coming to Washington, D.C. And the people that we're talking to, are actually here today, are saying that they just want to go on and live their lives. They're not going to let terrorists, they're not going to let war get in the way of that. So they're just enjoying themselves here in Washington today -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Somebody say amen to that. Thank you very much. Patty Davis in Washington.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com