Super Bowl XLIV security news conference 2010-02-01 1

A National Special Security Event (NSSE) is an event of national or international significance deemed by the

United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the Interior minister, interior, Home Secretary ...

(DHS) to be a potential target for terrorism or other criminal activity. These events have included summits of world leaders, meetings of international organizations, presidential nominating conventions and presidential inaugurations. NSSE designation requires federal agencies to provide full cooperation and support to ensure the safety and security of those participating in or otherwise attending the event, and the community within which the event takes place, and is typically limited to specific event sites for a specified time frame. An NSSE places the

United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security tasked with conducting criminal investigations and providing protection to American political leaders, thei ...

as the lead agency in charge of the planning, coordination, and implementation of security operations for the event, the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

in charge of intelligence, counterterrorism, and investigation of major criminal activities associated with the event, and the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

in charge of recovery management in the aftermath of terrorism, major criminal activities, natural disasters, or other catastrophic incidents following the event. Like the FBI and FEMA, the Secret Service brings in local law enforcement, public safety, and military experts to assist with developing the plan, and give them the special guidance and training to operate within the security plan. NSSE designation is not a funding mechanism, and currently there is no specific federal "pot of money" to be distributed to state and local governments within whose jurisdiction NSSEs take place.

Authority

NSSE procedures were established by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

in a portion of Presidential Decision Directive 62 in May 1998, which set out the security roles for federal agencies at major events. The Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000 (, signed into law on 2000-12-19) added special events explicitly to the powers of the

in .

Procedure

A number of factors are taken into consideration when designating an event as a National Special Security Event.

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...

press releases A press release (also known as a media release) is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing new information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public releas ...

usually cite the following factors:{ *Anticipated attendance by dignitaries. Events attended by officials of the United States government or foreign dignitaries may create an independent federal interest to ensure that the event transpires without incident and that sufficient resources are brought to bear in the event of an incident. *Size of the event. A large number of attendees and participants generally increases security requirements. In addition, larger events are more likely to draw the attention of terrorists or other criminals, particularly those interested in employing weapons of mass destruction. *Significance of the event. Some events have historical, political, cultural, or other symbolic significance that may heighten concern about possible terrorist acts or other criminal activity. *Duration of the event. State and local law enforcement and public safety agencies may possess the manpower and other resources to provide adequate security for a major event within their jurisdiction (e.g. World Series, NASCAR race, Super Bowl, televised awards show), but unable to do so for events over several days or weeks and at the same time continue to meet routine obligations in the greater community. *Availability of state and local resources. When state and local jurisdictions lack the expertise, experience, manpower or other assets needed to ensure comprehensive protection of these major events of national or international significance. *Multiplicity of Jurisdictions. Extensive coordination of law enforcement and public safety agencies from multiple jurisdictions. *

Threat assessment Threat assessment is the practice of determining the credibility and seriousness of a potential threat, as well as the probability that the threat will become a reality. Threat assessment is separate to the more established practice of violence-r ...

s. Anticipation of terrorism, or extensive illegal civil disobedience or other criminal activity. Typical NSSE security measures include: * Interagency coordination and interoperability * Heavy police (days off and leaves may be canceled) and often

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

presence *

Police dogs A police dog, also known as a K-9 (phonemic abbreviation of canine), is a dog that is trained to assist police and other law enforcement officers. Their duties may include searching for drugs and explosives, locating missing people, finding ...

for bomb detection *

Surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...

* WMD detection, mitigation, and decontamination *

Sharpshooter A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with " marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" ...

s and other tactical capabilities * Flight restrictions around the area *

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

patrols * Increased railroad security * Extensive road closures * When applicable members of Joint Task Force - Civil Support and the Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) are deployed The

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...

notes that since the "Presidential Protection Act of 2000 became public law...the Secret Service is authorized to participate in the planning, coordination and implementation of security operations at special events of national significance.... nd thatwhen an event is designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security as a National Special Security Event (NSSE), the Secret Service assumes its mandated role as the lead agency for the design and implementation of the operational security plan...The goal of the cooperating agencies is to provide a safe and secure environment for Secret Service protectees, other dignitaries, the event participants and the general public. There is a tremendous amount of advance planning and coordination in preparation for these events."

Events

paragraph (e)(2) requires that, at the end of each federal

fiscal year A fiscal year (also known as a financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. La ...

, the

executive branch The executive branch is the part of government which executes or enforces the law. Function The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in a given country. In ...

report to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

which events were designated NSSEs, and what criteria were used to make the designations. Typical types of NSSEs are

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

s, major

political convention The terms party conference (British English, UK English), political convention (American English, US and Canadian English), and party congress usually refer to a general meeting of a political party. The conference is attended by certain Delega ...

s, and the

State of the Union The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a Joint session of the United States Congress, joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning ...

addresses. The table below lists some NSSEs since enactment of the relevant statute. {, class="wikitable sortable" ! Date ! Event ! Location !State(s) or district ! Notes , - , ,

World Energy Council The World Energy Council is a global forum for thought-leadership and tangible engagement with headquarters in London. Its mission is 'To promote the sustainable supply and use of energy for the greatest benefit of all people'. The idea for the fo ...

Meeting , , Texas , , - , ,

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

50th Anniversary Celebration , , DC , , - , , World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999 , , Washington , , - , , 2000 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , ,

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

Spring Meeting , , DC , , - , , Operation Sail Summer Millennium Celebration , , New York , , - , , 2000 Republican National Convention , , Pennsylvania , , - , , 2000 Democratic National Convention , , California , , - , , First inauguration of George W. Bush , , DC , , - , , 2001 Presidential Address to Congress , , DC , , - , ,

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

56th session , , New York , , - , ,

2002 State of the Union Address The 2002 State of the Union Address was given by the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, on January 29, 2002, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 107th United ...

, , DC , , - , ,

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

USA Meeting , , New York , , - , ,

Super Bowl XXXVI Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

, , Louisiana , , - , ,

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...

, , Utah , , - , , 2003 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , , 2004 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , , 30th G8 summit , , Georgia , , - , , State funeral of Ronald Reagan , , DC; California , , - , ,

2004 Democratic National Convention The 2004 Democratic National Convention convened from July 26 to 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston, Massachusetts, and nominated Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts for president and Senator John Edwards from North ...

, , Massachusetts , , - , ,

2004 Republican National Convention The 2004 Republican National Convention took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The convention is one of a series of Republican National Convention, historic quadrennial meetings at w ...

, , New York , , - , , Second inauguration of George W. Bush , , DC , , - , ,

2005 State of the Union Address The 2005 State of the Union Address was given by the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, on February 2, 2005, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 109th United St ...

, , DC , , - , , 2006 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , , State funeral of Gerald Ford , , DC; Michigan , , - , , 2007 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , , 2008 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , ,

2008 Democratic National Convention The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform an ...

, , Colorado , 26th NSSE , - , ,

2008 Republican National Convention The 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008. The first day of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's convention fell on Labo ...

, , Minnesota , 27th NSSE , - , ,

63rd Session , , New York , , - , ,

2008 G20 Washington summit The 2008 G20 Washington Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy was the first meeting, held in Washington, D.C., United States. It achieved general agreement amongst the G20 on how to cooperate in key areas so as to strengthen ec ...

, , DC , , - , , Pre-Inaugural Whistle Stop Tour , , Pennsylvania; Delaware; Maryland; DC , Part of inaugural ceremonies , - , , We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial , , DC , , - , ,

First inauguration of Barack Obama The first United States presidential inauguration, inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The 56th ina ...

, , DC , , - , , 2009 Presidential Address to Congress , , DC , , - , ,

64th Session , , New York , , - , , 2009 G20 Pittsburgh summit , , Pennsylvania , , - , , 2010 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , , 2010 Nuclear Security Summit , , DC , , - , ,

65th Session , , New York , , - , , 2011 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , ,

66th Session , , New York , , - , , 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit , , Hawaii , , - , , 2012 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , , 38th G8 summit , , Maryland , , - , , 2012 NATO Chicago Summit , , Illinois , , - , ,

2012 Republican National Convention The 2012 Republican National Convention was a gathering held by the Republican Party (United States), U.S. Republican Party during which Delegate (American politics), delegates officially nominated former Governor of Massachusetts, Massachuset ...

, , Florida , , - , ,

2012 Democratic National Convention The 2012 Democratic National Convention was a gathering, held from September 4–6, 2012, at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, in which delegates of the Democratic Party nominated President Barack Obama and Vice Pr ...

, , North Carolina , , - , ,

67th Session , , New York , , - , , Second inauguration of Barack Obama , , DC , , - , - , , 2013 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , ,

68th Session , , New York , , - , , 2014 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , ,

69th Session , , New York , , - , , 2015 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , , Pope Francis's 2015 visit to the United States , , DC; New York; Pennsylvania , , - , ,

70th Session , , New York , , - , , 2016 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , - , ,

2016 Republican National Convention The 2016 Republican National Convention, in which delegates of the United States Republican Party (United States), Republican Party chose the party's nominees for President of the United States, president and Vice President of the United Sta ...

, , Ohio , , - , ,

2016 Democratic National Convention The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the maj ...

, , Pennsylvania , , - , ,

71st Session , , New York , , - , ,

First inauguration of Donald Trump The United States presidential inauguration, inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States marked the commencement of Trump's first term as president and Mike Pence's only term as Vice President of the United States, ...

, , DC , , - , , 2017 Presidential Address to Congress , , DC , , - , ,

72nd Session , , New York , , - , , 2018 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , ,

73rd Session , , New York , , - , , State funeral of George H. W. Bush , , DC; Texas , , - , , 2019 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , ,

74th Session , , New York , , - , , 2020 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , ,

2020 Democratic National Convention The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtual ...

, , Wisconsin , , - , , 2020 Republican National Convention , , DC; North Carolina , , - , ,

Inauguration of Joe Biden The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States took place on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, on the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It was the 59th inauguration and marked the commencement o ...

, , DC , , - , , 2021 Presidential Address to Congress , , DC , - , ,

76th Session , , New York , , - , ,

77th Session , , New York , , - , , 2022 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , , 2023 State of the Union Address , , DC , , - , ,

78th Session , , New York , , - , , APEC United States 2023 , , California , , - , , 2024 NATO Washington Summit , , DC , , - , ,

2024 Republican National Convention The 2024 Republican National Convention was an event in which delegates of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party selected the party's nominees for President of the United States, president and Vice President of ...

, , Wisconsin , , - , ,

2024 Democratic National Convention The 2024 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention in which delegates of the Democratic Party (United States), United States Democratic Party voted on their party ...

, , Illinois , , - , ,

79th Session , , New York , , - , , State funeral of Jimmy Carter , , DC; Georgia , - , January 6, 2025 , 2025 Electoral College vote count , , DC , , - , January 20, 2025 ,

Second inauguration of Donald Trump The United States presidential inauguration, inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States took place on Monday, January 20, 2025. Due to freezing temperatures and high winds, it was held inside the United States Capi ...

, , DC , , - , February 9, 2025 ,

Super Bowl LIX Super Bowl LIX was an American football championship game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2024 NFL season, 2024 season. In a rematch of Super Bowl LVII two years prior, the National Football Conf ...

, , Louisiana , , - , June 14, 2025 , US Army 250th Anniversary Parade , , DC , , - , , 2028 Summer Olympic Games , , California , , -

References

{{Reflist

External links

United States Secret Service: National Special Security Event - Wayback Machine (Archive)

DHS Fact Sheet: National Special Security Events - Wayback Machine (Archive) in January 2007
*
DHS Fact Sheet: National Special Security Events - Wayback Machine (Archive) in March 2012

CRS report on NSSEs

Center for Domestic Preparedness - NSSE NLE Support - FEMA

National Special Security Events: Fact Sheet - CRS

Anatomy of a National Special Security Event

Law enforcement in the United States Terrorism laws in the United States United States Department of Homeland Security United States federal defense and national security legislation