Security Officials Reviewing Papal Visit Safety Protocols In Philly
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The nation's top security officials are coming to town today to review plans for Pope Francis's visit.
U.S. Homeland Security secretary Jeh Johnson and U.S. Secret Service director Joe Clancy will be in Philadelphia to make sure the FBI, the Secret Service and law enforcement are coordinated and prepared for the papal visit.
They'll tour the Multi-Agency Communications Center -- the command center for the Philadelphia leg of the papal trip.
Yes, there will be fences and metal detectors around key areas. But security consultant Jack Tomarchio, a former deputy undersecretary for intelligence in the Homeland Security Department, tells KYW Newsradio much of the work detecting threats is done behind the scenes:
"A lot of the work will never be seen by the spectators, will never be seen by the pope. And that's good. We don't want this place to look like an armed camp. We want people to come to Philadelphia, we want people to enjoy the experience of being with the Holy Father. At the same time, you have to have a lot of different-layered defenses in place. And a lot of that's going to be essentially below the radar screen."
Tomarchio says Johnson and Clancy will be making sure that all of the federal agencies involved are functioning properly and sharing intelligence.
Tomarchio says from his perspective, Philadelphia is as prepared as it can be for Pope Francis's visit. But he warns in this day of lone wolf actors, you can never be 100 percent prepared.