Security for inauguration a key concern

WASHINGTON — The violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is intensifying scrutiny over security at the upcoming inauguration ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden, which already has been reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic and President Donald Trump’s decision not to attend.

Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take the oath of office from the Capitol’s West Front, one of the locations where a mob overpowered police and stormed the building on Wednesday. They also scaled and occupied the scaffolding and bleachers in place for the ceremonies.

Plans for the Jan. 20 inauguration were already scaled back because of the coronavirus. But the brazen attack raises new questions about preparedness for the event, which will welcome a new administration after a bitter election.

The congressional leaders responsible for coordinating the inauguration have insisted that events will move forward.

Security forces have already begun taking extra precautions in the wake of Wednesday’s mayhem. Five people died, including an officer from the Capitol Police.

Roughly 6,200 members of the National Guard from six states will help support the Capitol Police and other law enforcement in Washington for the next 30 days. Crews erected tall, black metal fences on the Capitol grounds that are designed to be impossible to climb.

Such barriers would have gone up anyway in coming days, however, because the inauguration is a National Special Security Event overseen by the Secret Service and scores of other federal agencies, including the Defense Department,.

Biden told reporters Friday that he has “great confidence in the Secret Service” and its ability to make sure the inauguration “goes off safely.”