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From YouTube: 2019 Boston Marathon Safety Press Conference
Description
Federal, state, and local officials discuss safety preparations for the upcoming Boston Marathon in a press conference at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.
A
Okay,
good
morning
welcome
to
the
2019
Boston
Marathon
press
conference.
My
name
is
Samantha
Phillips
I'm,
the
director
of
the
Massachusetts
Emergency
Management,
Agency
I,
joined
the
agency
just
about
six
weeks
ago
and
have
been
all
marathon
all
the
time.
We
look
forward
to
sharing
about
our
plans
this
morning
with
you
to
begin,
it's
my
privilege
to
introduce
Under
Secretary
for
homeland
security
from
the
executive
office
of
Public
Safety
and
security,
Jean
Ben,
Acosta
Thorp.
B
It's
my
pleasure
to
be
gathered
here
with
all
of
you
from
our
partner
agencies
that
have
been
involved
in
the
safety
and
security
planning
and
race
day
coordination
to
ensure
that
we
have
a
safe
Marathon
this
year
on
Marathon
Monday,
approximately
7,000
public
safety
personnel,
including
5,000
local
state
federal
law
enforcement
officers,
will
be
working
to
keep
our
race
safe
within
the
executive
office
of
public
safety
and
security.
Mima,
the
mass
State
Police,
the
Massachusetts
National
Guard,
the
Department
of
Fire
Services
all
play
a
critical
role
in
planning
in
the
planning
process
and
race
operations.
B
Law
enforcement
officers
are
supported
by
teams
from
the
DFS
and
the
National
Guard.
This
is
truly
an
interagency
operation.
We
also
collaborate
closely
with
many
of
our
state
agencies,
including
the
Massachusetts
Department
of
Transportation
and
the
Massachusetts
Department
of
Public
Health.
I
would
like
to
also
acknowledge
our
federal
partners,
because
without
their
resources
and
assistance,
we
would
not
be
able
to
pull
this
marathon
off
I'm
happy
to
announce
that
the
Homeland
Security
Secret
Service,
the
FBI
FEMA
ATF,
FAA,
EPA
and
DEA
have
played
a
significant
role
with
us
in
our
planning.
B
These
federal
resources,
combined
with
our
local
and
our
state
and
regional
resources,
have
made
for
a
comprehend
of
safety,
secure
plan
to
make
this
marathon
as
safe
as
possible.
The
Boston
Marathon
is
one
of
the
events
that
the
Baker
pollito
administration
has
been
proactive
at
preparing
for.
In
October
of
this
year,
governor
Baker
signed
an
executive
order
to
assemble
a
large
venue
task
force
to
develop
best
practices
for
large
preparedness
for
such
as
sports
stadiums,
convention,
centers
and
other
events.
C
Without
all
of
you,
there
is
no
race,
so
we
remain
intensely
grateful
on
our
own
behalf
and
on
behalf
of
those
runners,
the
10,000
volunteers
and
hundreds
of
thousands
of
spectators
who
come
out
every
year
for
the
magnet
work
done
by
all
of
the
Public
Safety
officials
at
all
levels.
We
put
so
much
into
this
in
the
words
of
a
song.
Nobody
does
it
better
director.
Thank
you.
A
So
we
certainly
recognize
that
the
point
of
this
event
is
for
it
to
be
a
wonderful
community
event
and
the
Andaz
to
watch
people
run
the
best
marathon
of
their
lives,
and
so
we've
been
really
thoughtful
in
our
planning
approach
to
make
sure
it's
a
wonderful
event,
but
also
one
that's
incredibly
safe
and
secure.
We
want
people
to
come
out
and
enjoy
the
race,
be
a
spectator
cheer
on
the
wonderful
runners,
be
part
of
this
really
great
day
in
Boston
on
April
15th.
There
are
some
additions
to
our
plans
this
year.
A
We're
asking
the
public
for
their
help
and
support
as
we
keep
this
event
secure
and
safe
partnering
with
the
public
is,
you
know
an
important
part
of
our
mission
so,
first
and
foremost,
we
invite
the
public
to
just
be
aware
of
their
surroundings.
If
they
see
something
that
looks
alarming
or
suspicious
call
9-1-1
or
reported
to
a
police
officer
nearby,
there's
no
harm
in
just
having
an
open
dialogue
on
race
day.
A
We
encourage
the
public
to
not
bring
backpacks
and
coolers
and
other
things
there's
a
long
list
of
prohibited
items,
that's
available
on
the
vaa
website
and
the
Mima
website.
There
will
be
security
checks,
so
the
the
fewer
things
you
bring,
the
easier
the
process
will
be
and
and
help
us
have
a
smooth
running
event.
We
are.
This
is
a
no
drone
zone
as
a
reminder,
so
the
public
should
leave
their
drones
at
home
for
the
marathon.
A
At
this
point,
I'd
like
to
turn
it
over
to
a
series
of
law
enforcement
officials,
the
first
speaking
will
be
FBI
Special
Agent
in
Charge
Joseph,
Bonneville
antah,
followed
by
Massachusetts
State,
Police,
Colonel,
Carrie
Gilpin,
and
then
the
Boston
Police
Department
superintendent,
bill,
Ridge
and
batting
cleanup
for
us
is
MBTA
Transit,
Police,
Chief,
Ken
green.
Thank
you.
D
Everyone
participating
in
this
year's
marathon
should
know
that
we
are
laser,
focused
on
finding
and
stopping
any
potential
threat,
and
we
are
working
around
the
clock
to
ensure
that
this
year's
event
is
safe
and
secure.
At
this
point
in
time,
neither
the
FBI
nor
any
other
United
States
government
agency
is
aware
of
any
specific
or
credible
threats
directed
at
this
year's
race
and,
while
I'm
confident
in
this
assessment,
I
urge
everyone
to
remain
vigilant
and
be
aware
of
your
surroundings.
D
D
Homegrown
violent
extremists
were
lone
actors
who
self
radicalized
with
little
or
no
warning
continue
to
be
a
concern
of
ours.
Our
greatest
challenge
is
and
will
continue
to
be,
identifying
them,
given
their
ability
to
remain
undetected
until
they
decide
to
go
operational
following
the
recent
attacks
in
New
Zealand
terrorist
organizations
like
Isis
and
al
Qaeda
continue
to
call
for
batali
retaliation.
I
can
tell
you.
D
The
FBI
has
actively
worked
to
collect
and
share
intelligence
to
these
threats,
so
everyone
here
can
make
informed
decisions
on
the
best
use
of
resources
and
are
fully
cognizant
of
any
changes
in
the
method
of
attacks.
Along
with
the
latest
tactics,
terrorists
are
using,
as
you
can
imagine,
preparation
for
events
such
as
this
is
an
entirely
cooperative
effort.
No
one
federal
state
or
local
agency
can
do
it
alone.
D
The
expertise
of
each
participating
agencies
standing
up
here
today
is
critical
to
the
success
of
a
well
coordinated
security
plan
similar
to
past
years,
members
of
the
FBI's
Joint
Terrorism
Task
Force
will
be
integrated
throughout
all
aspects
of
the
marathon
route.
Our
highly
trained
special
teams,
specialty
teams
are
prepared
and
will
be
standing
by
to
respond
to
any
possible
occurrence
that
may
occur
and
require
action
on
our
part.
D
They
will
be
embedded
within
the
command
post
and
supporting
the
Joint
Intelligence
Center,
which
will
be
stood
up
at
our
Chelsea
headquarters,
to
share
intelligence,
run
database
checks
and
monitor
and
investigate
any
threat
information
that
may
arise.
We
continue
to
maintain
a
high
state
of
readiness
and
to
protect
our
communities
from
any
threat
or
terrorist
event,
and,
as
this
is
the
first
time,
the
marathon
falls
on
the
actual
anniversary
date
of
the
bombings.
D
E
Good
morning,
it's
great
to
be
able
to
join
you
again
to
discuss
our
plans
for
the
2019
Boston
Marathon,
to
add
just
a
brief
note
to
what
you've
already
heard
today,
the
Massachusetts
State
Police
and
our
law
enforcement
partners
along
the
race
route
have
a
rigorous
and
multifaceted
security
plan
in
place.
As
always,
much
of
that
plan
will
be
recognizable
to
the
public,
troopers
local
officers
and
National
Guardsmen
in
uniform,
readily
identifiable
anyone
with
any
concern
or
who
sees
anything
suspicious,
may
report
it
to
any
of
these
law
enforcement
or
military
personnel.
E
You
will
also
see
our
tactical
units
canines
motorcycles,
explosive
ordnance,
technicians
and
a
full
deployment
of
our
State
Police
Air
Wing.
All
four
helicopters
will
be
providing
over
flight
support
of
the
entire
marathon
route,
each
of
them
providing
downlink
of
aerial
views
of
the
course
to
the
incident
command
post
in
our
Commonwealth
watch
center
at
the
starting
line.
You
will
also
see
approximately
170
State
Police
trainees,
who
are
currently
preparing
to
become
state
troopers.
At
our
academy.
E
They
will
enhance
our
law
enforcement
presence
in
Hopkinton
and
will
be
utilized
as
extra
sets
of
eyes
looking
out
for
anything
or
anyone,
seemingly
out
of
place,
I
hope,
marathon
participants
and
spectators
also
take
comfort
in
the
parts
of
the
security
plan.
They
cannot
readily
see
our
undercover
troopers
and
officers.
E
They
will
include
those
with
specialized
training
and
detecting
certain
behaviors
indicative
of
potential
threats,
along
with
analysts
working
with
our
federal
law
enforcement
partners,
on
constant
alert
for
any
intelligence
or
social
media
content
that
may
hint
at
threats
to
event
security,
also
in
what
has
become
a
standard
component
of
our
security
plan.
Numerous
cameras
along
the
course
allow
us
to
observe
suspicious
or
criminal
activity
and
respond
appropriately.
E
In
recent
years,
we
have
accounted
for
the
possibility
of
drones
posing
a
threat
over
the
racecourse.
Once
again
this
year,
we
will
be
alert
for
any
unmanned
aerial
vehicles
that
potentially
threaten
event
security
and
will
take
action
as
deemed
necessary.
Importantly,
as
of
today,
we
are
aware
of
no
credible
or
specific
threats
to
the
event,
however,
will
remain
hyper
vigilant
up
to
and
throughout
the
marathon.
If
you
are
running
watching
or
just
a
concerned
citizen,
please
be
assured
that
the
law-enforcement
partnerships
in
place
here
have
done
everything
possible
to
maximize
safety
and
security.
E
F
Morning,
everyone
thank
you
on
behalf
of
Mayor
Walsh
and
Commissioner
grass
I
like
to
welcome
everyone
to
come
into
the
city
of
Boston
to
experience
the
Boston,
Marathon
and
race
weekend.
As
we
like
to
call
it.
You
know,
mm
marathon
is
there's
13
days
away.
However,
you
know
we're
going
to
see
we're
gonna
see
the
hype
start
tomorrow,
with
the
build-up
we'll
start
seeing.
F
Construction
going
on
starts
the
marathon
hype,
if
you
will,
which
leads
into
a
marathon
weekend
series
of
events
for
the
marathon
weekend
begin
with
a
VA,
a
5k
Road
race,
mile
relay
races
in
Copley
Square,
the
kids
relay
race
up
and
down
Boylston,
Street
and
and,
of
course
ending
with
with
the
the
pasta
party
on
Sunday
at
at
City,
Hall
plaza
the
day
itself
marathon
race
day.
You
know
it
starts
off.
It
starts
off
real
early
for
us.
We
know,
we've
got
the
buses
that
are
leaving
at
5
a.m.
F
from
from
the
Boston
Common
had
note2
Hopkinton.
The
the
day
itself,
you
know,
certainly
is
not
lost.
You
know
the
66th
anniversary
or
April
15th
falls
on
the
exact
same
day
and
I'll
just
I'll.
Just
tell
you,
the
policing
being
a
public
safety
officer,
sometimes
sometimes
it's
it's
pretty
hard.
It's
pretty
hard
to
to
take
not
take
things
personal
and
for
a
day
like
this
for
event,
like
this
I'm
telling
you
right
now,
the
men
and
women
of
the
Boston
Police
Department
take
this
day
personal.
F
You
know
we
were
attached
six
years
ago
today
and
you
know
we
have
what
we
believe
is
a
comprehensive
safety
and
security
plan
to
try
to
ensure
safety
and
security
for
all
the
visitors,
spectators
and
runners
and
the
Boston
Marathon
and
we'll
do
this
through
a
through
a
multi-layered
approach,
we'll
have,
as
the
curl
mentioned,
will
have
EOD
assets
out
there.
We'll
have
has
Mazza
assets
out
there,
working
with
the
Boston
Fire
Department
we're
loving
the
cover
offices
that
will
be
out
there,
observing
the
crowd.
Will
we
will?
We
will
again
set
up
our
checkpoints.
F
Checkpoints
will
will
will
basically
start
at
Audubon
circle.
Go
all
the
way
down
the
marathon
course
route
and
those
those
areas
leading
into
the
course
at
which
point
we'll
be
asking
people
to
look
inside
their
bags.
You
know
again,
we
try
to
use
the
common
sense
approach.
Please
adhere
to
what
the
director
asked
is
prohibitive
about
items.
Please
don't
bring
them
down
there,
it'll
just
it'll
it'll
it'll
back
up
the
security
checkpoints.
If
you
will
so,
if
you
come
in
through
there,
you
have
nothing
on
you'll,
be
able
to
walk
right
through
the
checkpoint.
F
You
know
if
you
do
have
a
bag.
We're
gonna
have
to
ask
you
to
open
it
and
we'll
check
that
out
and
we'll
have
we'll
have
plenty
of
IOD
assets.
That'll
be
around
and
again,
you
know
we'll
be
using
a
multi-layered
approach
for
this.
We'll
have
offices,
you'll,
see
them
up
on
on
roofs,
they'll
be
in
the
observation
post
along
the
route
in
the
city
of
Boston.
Again,
this
is
to
which
you're
the
safety
and
security
of
all
the
visitors
and
spectators
that
come
into
the
city.
So
again
we
invite
everyone
to
come
down.
G
Come
on
everyone,
and
thank
you
for
being
here-
I
just
want
to
be
here
to
weigh
what
my
colleagues
have
already
stated.
Currently,
there
is
no
intelligence,
credible,
otherwise
to
suggest
that
the
MBTA
or
the
marathon
itself,
our
targets-
we
are
all
well-prepared
for
this
event,
as
we
are
for
every
event.
Many
of
the
strategies
that
the
Transit
Police
employ
will
be
obvious
to
our
ride
in
public,
such
as
an
increased
uniformed
presence
in
and
around
our
stations,
as
well
as
specially
trained
SWAT
officers
in
our
deployments
of
our
explosive
detective
unit
as
well.
G
G
Regarding
Marathon
Monday,
we
got
in
service
on
Marathon
Monday
Copley
station
will
be
closed
as
well
if
Berkeley
Street,
side
of
islands
and
station
so
they'll
both
be
closed
with.
That
being
said,
I
want
to
encourage
everyone
coming
out
to
the
marathon
to
utilize
the
MBTA
transportation
system
and
enjoy
the
day
and
remember,
if
you
see
something
say
something
we
are
all
in
this
together.
Thank
you.
A
H
A
So
there
have
always
been
reception
centers
along
the
course
so
Mima
has
worked
with
our
local
partners
to
have
additional
shelter
locations
and
the
Boston
Athletic
Association
is
also
going
to
be
providing
buses
that
can
be
used
for
warming
stations.
We
don't
look,
doesn't
look
like
we're
going
to
have
excessive
heat,
but
they
could
also
be
used
as
cooling
stations.
So
in
every
community
there
are
those
locations
identified
ahead
of
time.
I
A
F
I'll
tell
you
I
say
to
our
offices
in
a
lot
of
our
offices
were
down
there.
That
day,
you
know
a
lot
of
people
can
remember
where
they
were
in
certain
dates.
I
certainly
know
where
I
was
April
15
2013
at
2:49
p.m.
you
know,
I
was
on
Boylston
Street
and
I'll.
Never
forget
that
I'll
never
forget
what
happened
and
the
men
and
women
of
the
Boston
Police
Department,
as
I
said
before
they
got
to
take
it
personal.
What
happened
that
day
and
we
instill
in
that
you
know
when
we're
talking.
We
have
our.
F
We
have
our
briefings.
We
have
our
roll
calls.
You
know
certain
events,
you
know
the
only
events,
it's
it's
it's
same
old,
same
old
show
again,
if
you
will,
but
but
the
Boston
Marathon
is
different.
The
Boston
Marathon
I
know
we
take
personal
as
I
said,
mm-hmm,
and
and
that's
that,
since
kind
of
instilled
from
from
the
from
the
frontline
supervisors,
all
the
way
down
to
the
men
and
women
on
the
street
that
on
that
day,
so
that
that's
kind
of
how
we
deal
with
it
I
mean
it's
as
far
as
the
general
public.
F
You
know,
unfortunately,
you
know
the
the
world
conditions.
If
you
will
kind
of
reiterate
the
facts
that
you
know,
things
happened,
and
you
know,
as
the
director
and
the
colonel
have
said,
you
know
if
you
see
something
say
something
so
I
think
the
general
public
gets
reiterated
on
a
regular
basis
and
I
think
when
they
probably
when
then
coming
down
towards
the
marathon
and
they
kind
of
see
the
enhanced
security
that
we
have,
they
see
the
uniform,
visible
presence.
F
J
I
also
just
want
to
address
that
in
terms
of
of
the
public
I
think
that
all
of
Massachusetts
takes
the
marathon
of
2013.
Very
personally,
none
of
us
will
forget
those
famous
words
of
David
Ortiz
I'm,
not
going
to
repeat
them,
because
I
might
not
have
a
job
tomorrow,
but
we
all
know
what
those
words
are
and
they
go
right
to
our
core.
You
also
can
go
out.
J
What
the
mayor,
the
marathon
of
2013,
is
still
absolutely
in
everybody's
mind
and
it
brought
us
together,
I
hate
to
say
that
tragedy
sometimes
does
that,
but
I
don't
think
anyone
is
complacent.
I
think
it's
still
in
everybody's
mind
and-
and
everyone
is
still
vigilant
and
remembers-
that
and
and
I
just
want
to
reiterate.
Boston
is
strong.
J
C
And
this
may
not
be
as
satisfactory
as
you,
like.
The
question
has
to
do
with
one
Boston
day
which
traditionally,
on
the
anniversary
of
the
bombing,
has
been
a
day
of
service.
There
have
been
quiet
remembrances
among
families
who
were
so
profoundly
affected
that
day,
and
that
resides
entirely
with
the
city
of
Boston
and
I
would
not
presume
to
say
exactly
how
that
will
be
handled.
C
H
K
C
C
D
So
speaking,
speaking
for
any
specific
or
credible
threats,
no
it's
something
that
we're
continuously
working
on
in
the
the
months
days,
weeks
and
days
leading
up
to
the
marathon.
So
the
answer
would
be
no
to
that
and
that's
where
we
stand
right
now
is
no
specific
or
credible
threats.
However,
the
reason
why
that
we
made
it
a
point
to
bring
up
the
threat
of
homegrown
violent
extremists
and
why
it's
something
that
is
a
concern
and
why
we
need
the
community
to
really
be
on
the
outlook
for
that
as
well.
D
Even
pre
marathon
day
is
because
these
are
individuals
who
have
obviously
shown
the
propensity
to
go
from
a
radicalization
or
preparatory
phase
to
operational
phase
in
a
very
short
period
of
time.
So
it's
just
something
that
we've
always
stated
out
there
in
the
years
past
and
we're
going
to
continue
to
do
this
year
as
well.
A
Well
great,
thank
you
very
much
for
joining
us
this
morning
and
you
know
being
part
of
this
press
conference.
I
should
just
conclude
by
saying
both
the
city
of
Boston
and
the
Commonwealth
of
Massachusetts
have
emergency
alerting
tools.
Boston
has
a
text
system
and
the
Massachusetts
Emergency
Management
Agency
has
an
app
for
emergency
alerts
and
I.
We
encourage
the
public
to
download
those
tools
and
we
will
be
pushing
information
to
the
public
using
those
two
systems
throughout
the
weekend
leading
up
and
then
certainly
on
marathon
day.
Thank
you
very
much.