Drones banned as Capitol security tightens
WASHINGTON — Washington could be the most secure place in the country today, when the security grid put in place over the past few days by federal and local law enforcement agencies is in full effect for Donald Trump’s inauguration — including a ban on drones.
As many as 800,000 people are expected to fill the National Mall for today’s inauguration ceremony and line the route of the presidential parade from Capitol Hill to the White House. The total price tag for security, transportation and emergency services could exceed the $124 million price tag for those items at the 2013 inauguration.
The Secret Service and Federal Aviation Administration have also declared the city and surrounding areas a “no-drone zone,” banning the flying of any unmanned aircraft in the restricted flight zone around Washington, D.C., including those launched from private property. People who violate the rule could face more than $1,400 in fines, and companies could be fined as much as $32,000. All electrical equipment used to operate the drones, including personal cellphones and laptops, could be confiscated as well.
Nearly 30,000 local and federal security officials are spread across the city to keep the peace, including thousands of law enforcement officers from across the country and members of the National Guard as well as Capitol Police, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals and the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department.
Even before the president-elect and his family arrived in Washington yesterday, barricades blocked off many streets, buildings and monuments.
Anyone entering the large security zone will have to go through checkpoints, and Secret Service officials have prohibited backpacks that aren’t see-through and any other bags larger than 8-inches wide. Aerosol cans, selfie sticks, guns and ammo, pepper spray and balloons are also on the banned list.
Getting around the nation’s capital will be difficult — dozens of roads will be closed as well as five Metro subway stations in the city’s main hub — and authorities are urging visitors to use public transportation to attend inauguration events.