---
title: "Parade Watch: Deterring Terrorism at the Rose Parade"
type: "pdf"
year: "2002"
canonical: "/projects/962"
---
# Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing
PARADE WATCH
Submitted by:
The Pasadena Police Department
May, 2002
# Table of Contents
- [Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing](#herman-goldstein-award-for-excellence-in-problem-oriented-policing)
- [DSNA POLICE DEPARTMENT](#dsna-police-department)
- [PARADE WATCH Deterring Terrorism at the Rose Parade](#parade-watch-deterring-terrorism-at-the-rose-parade)
- [SUMMARY](#summary)
- [PROBLEM](#problem)
- [ANALYSIS](#analysis)
- [RESPONSE](#response)
- [ASSESSMENT](#assessment)
- [PARADE WATCH](#parade-watch)
- [Deterring Terrorism at the Rose Parade](#deterring-terrorism-at-the-rose-parade)
- [SCANNING](#scanning)
- [ANALYSIS](#analysis)
- [RESPONSE](#response)
- [ASSESSMENT](#assessment)
- [REFERENCES](#references)
- [SPECIAL](#special)
- [BERNARD K. MELEKIAN - CHIEF OF POLICE](#bernard-k-melekian-chief-of-police)
- [Tournament of Roses 2002 Security Survey](#tournament-of-roses-2002-security-survey)
- [Diaz, Marilyn](#diaz-marilyn)
- [Parade RV Statistics](#parade-rv-statistics)
- [AGENCY AND OFFICER INFORMATION](#agency-and-officer-information)
# DSNA POLICE DEPARTMENT
BERNARD K. MELEKIAN CHIEF OF POLICE
207 N. GARFIELD AVENUE
PASADENA, CA 91101
6267444501
April 30, 2002
Police Executive Research Forum
1120 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 930
Washington, D.C. 20036
Re: Herman Goldstein Award
To the Herman Goldstein Award Selection Committee:
Please accept our nomination of the Pasadena Police Department's Parade Watch-Deterring Terrorism at the Rose Parade for this year's Herman Goldstein Award. I attest to its methodology and verify that the results of the project are both accurate and attributable to the project. Thank you.
Sincerely,
BERNARD K . MELEKIAN
Chief of Police
BKM:mdd
# PARADE WATCH Deterring Terrorism at the Rose Parade
## SUMMARY
## PROBLEM
After September $11^{\text {h }}$, the threat of a terrorist bombing at the Rose Parade posed a special event security challenge to the Pasadena Police Department: How do police ensure public safety while maintaining civil liberties?
## ANALYSIS
Intelligence - Federal agencies alerted Pasadena that the Rose Parade was a potential terrorist target. The Counter Terrorism Section read and shared information on terrorist groups, their beliefs, activities, and methods of operation.
Destructive capacity - Officers researched explosives reports and met with experts to learn the types of explosives commonly used, their capacity, and means of transportation.
Legal constraints - Police event planners researched legal sourcebooks and consulted attorneys about the legal basis on which police might search recreational vehicles in view of an unspecified terrorist threat. Absent probable cause, police needed to rely on RV owners' consent to search their vehicles.
Community reaction - Police officials at all levels met with community and business members about parade security. Many expressed fear about Pasadena being targeted during New Year's; most welcomed heightened police action.
# RESPONSE
Police staff decided that recreational vehicles parked along the parade route would be subject to search. The approach was to train and deploy volunteer graduates of the department's Citizen-Police Academy to greet recreational vehicle owners. The volunteers asked them to cooperate by signing a consent form agreeing to a vehicle search. Compliant owners received a distinctive commemorative decal to put on their windshield. The decal alerted passing police officers that the occupants had consented to a search. The volunteers asked the occupants to help ensure parade safety by calling the police department to report suspicious activity, including recreational vehicles parked without the police-issued decal. Volunteers contacted almost 700 recreational vehicle owners; only two people initially declined to sign the consent form. The public and media reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
## ASSESSMENT
There were no terrorist acts reported during the Rose Parade. Police volunteers solicited cooperation from nearly 700 recreational vehicle owners; only two declined to sign the consent forms. Parade Watch strengthened public confidence and support among recreational vehicle owners. National and local media coverage was consistently positive. As a result, the Pasadena Police Department will expand Parade Watch for the 2003 Rose Parade.
# PARADE WATCH
## Deterring Terrorism at the Rose Parade
## SCANNING
Located just fifteen minutes from downtown Los Angeles, at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, the City of Pasadena is the site of popular shops and restaurants that blend comfortably with tree-lined streets, distinctive neighborhoods, historic buildings and a colorful cultural scene. Pasadena has been the venue for world-class events such as the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the Academy Awards, the Emmy Awards, and World Cup Soccer. Most notably, Pasadena is famous for its annual Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl Game on New Years Day. Although the Pasadena Police Department has decades of successful special event planning experience, the September $11{ }^{\text {v }}$ terrorist attacks presented a new security challenge for the 2002 Tournament of Roses Parade: How to prevent terrorists from parking a vehicle containing explosives, particularly a large recreational vehicle, on the parade route and exploding it during the Rose Parade. A vehicle bomb explosion of this magnitude would result in hundreds, if not thousands of people killed and injured.
Federal intelligence reports, in the wake of September $1^{\mathrm{t}^{\prime}}$, indicated the increased potential for terrorists to use large, explosive laden, vehicles to bomb concentrations of civilians attending high profile public events. One report indicated that the Rose Parade was potential target terrorist attacks. Pasadena Police Chief Bernard Melekian deduced that recreational vehicles, parked in proximity to thousands of Rose Parade spectators in grandstands or in curbside crowds, could be exploded by terrorists to cause mass human destruction. Thus, terrorists could create a catastrophe at the Rose
Parade that duplicated the horror and shock of the September $11^{\text {x }}$ terrorist attacks. The specter of an Oklahoma City style bombing suddenly seemed possible in suburban Pasadena. The possibility of a Rose Parade bombing attack was enhanced by the immediate widespread publicity it would receive from the legions of mass media on hand to cover the Rose Parade: Terrorists could strike at a visible American institution, have it instantly televised around the world, and promote their message of American vulnerability to terrorist retribution.
In light of September $11^{\text {x }}$, law enforcement officials, military advisors, city government leaders, and local community leaders agreed that a terrorist vehicle bombing was the primary public safety concern for the 2002 Rose Parade. Moreover, it was evident from an analysis of world events that the use of vehicle bombs would be a reoccurring public safety dilemma for future Rose Parades and other special events.
In previous years, the Police Department employed traditional, straightforward police tactics to combat terrorism during special events. Intelligence officers briefed patrol officers about a suspected terrorist group and the appropriate response plan if an attack occurred. Traditionally, the methodology for preventing terrorist attacks relied on informed vigilance coupled with structured response. However, the threat of a potential vehicle bombing at the Rose Parade rendered the traditional approach unacceptable since this approach did not provide sufficient safeguards against catastrophic loss of life. Given the magnitude of potential loss of life and the clandestine nature of terrorism, a more proactive and omnipresent prevention methodology had to be devised to prevent a terrorist vehicle bombing at the Rose Parade.
# ANALYSIS
A preventative response to a vehicle bombing at the Rose Parade called for several issues to be investigated and addressed. Due to the classified nature of some of some of the analytical information regarding terrorist organizations, specific references, including numerical data, are omitted in this writing at the request of the providers of the classified information.
Community Issues and Involvement. Fundamental to the Police Department's prevention response to a terrorist vehicle bombing was a new understanding of the concept of community. According to Alpert and Flynn 2000, "Even a temporary situation may constitute a community if a group of stakeholders share a geographical area, character or identity and common concerns." The authors imparted the notion that the collective group of recreational vehicle owners who attend the Rose Parade implicitly share a geographical area and common concerns. The shared geographical area is the parking locations along the Rose Parade route and the shared concerns involve using their recreational vehicles to enjoy an outdoor event. This notion was seminal in considering a community-based response for a potential terrorist vehicle bombing as described in the Response section that follows.
Several community members offered their assistance to the Police Department once they were aware of the potential for a vehicle bombing on the Rose Parade route. The Tournament of Roses, an organization comprised of local government, community, and business leaders, provided partial payment for a highly experienced terrorism consultant to advise the Police Department. This consultant provided otherwise unobtainable information regarding terrorist strategies and the vulnerability of the Rose
Parade route. The consultant alerted the Police Department to potential targets and recommended ways to minimize a terrorist attack.
Threat Estimate. The Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building serves as a benchmark for the level of human destruction that can result from a vehicle bomb explosion. A van loaded with ammonia nitrate and fuel exploded and killed 168 men, women, and children, and injured 853 others. "The explosion...reduced the north face of the Murrah Building to rubble.... The force of the blast damaged 324 surrounding buildings, overturned automobiles, touched off car fires, and blew out windows and doors in a 50-block area. News reports indicated the explosion was felt 55 miles from the site and registered 6.0 on the Richter scale." (U.S. Department of Justice 2000).
The Pasadena Police Department conferred with advisors from the U.S. Marine Corps, California National Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other agencies in an attempt to estimate the damage from a vehicle bomb using a bus-sized recreational vehicle(s). The advisors requested that they not be quoted on baseline damage levels, but their overall assessment can be inferred from one of their findings: the local ice rink may be large enough to serve as a temporary morgue.
Due to the secretive and unpredictable nature of terrorism, situational information that could allow a more comprehensive understanding of a terrorist vehicle bombing was difficult to acquire. The Police Department learned considerable information regarding vehicle bombings from a terrorism consultant referenced in Community Involvement above.
Terrorism Knowledge Base. The Police Department's Counter Terrorism Section created a knowledge base about terrorism by reading and sharing numerous reports and background papers regarding many aspects of terrorist groups including their beliefs, activities, and methods of operation. Officers also researched reports on explosives and met with active and retired FBI and CIA experts to learn what types of explosives terrorists commonly use and how terrorists transport these explosives. The Counter Terrorism Section researched and prioritized local terrorist threats. When a sufficient knowledge base about terrorism had been compiled, the Counter Terrorism Sections was ready to guide the Police Department in its efforts to prevent a terrorist vehicle bombing.
Vehicle Search Issues. Searching recreation vehicles triggered two inhibitors. First, there were legal prohibitions. Second, there was an informal Departmental policy that made achieving a successful special event a higher priority than effective security.
Regarding legal prohibitions, Event Planning Section officials consulted the Pasadena City Attorney, a District Attorney, and private attorneys to determine how the Police Department could lawfully search recreational vehicles that parked in proximity to the parade route. Federal and state search and seizure law clearly prohibited searches of motor homes without probable cause. The possibility, or even the likelihood of a terrorist using a vehicle containing explosives, absent specificity, did not constitute probable cause to search.
Legal restrictions notwithstanding, an informal Departmental policy posed a significant barrier to searching recreational vehicles. Implicit in this policy is that the ultimate goal of special-event planning is to achieve a successful event and that
maintaining effective security is a means to that end. In other words, all those who attend the Rose Parade should be able to enjoy the parade and security is a mechanism that enables one to participate in the parade experience. Conducting what could appear to be arbitrary searches of recreational vehicles, for whatever reason, would certainly diminish the public's enjoyment and affection for the venerable Rose Parade.
Parade Route Assessment. Drawing on information listed above in this Analysis section, the Police Department assessed the Rose Parade route in terms of where a terrorist vehicle bombing would likely occur. Some consideration was given to prohibit parking altogether along the parade route, but this was dismissed because the presence of recreational vehicles has been a tradition, with some families returning to the same viewing location for many years.
The Rose Parade route stretches for 5.5 miles from west to east through Pasadena. The Police Department's Special Enforcement Section counted approximately 50 private parking lots that could accommodate hundreds of parked recreational vehicles for up to 5 days before the Rose Parade. Based on the availability and number of recreational vehicle parking locations, the number of grandstands, the concentrations of curbside crowds, information about terrorist practices from research and consultants, and community input, it was projected that a prevention response for a terrorist vehicle bombing should be implemented throuOghout the entire parade route.
# RESPONSE
The Police Department held numerous staff discussions to determine the best method to ensure a successful parade and the safety of spectators. One of the simplest
responses would have been to post "No Parking" signs along the cross streets of the route, however, such a response was inconsistent with the goals and the tradition of the Rose Parade.
Event Planning Lieutenant Alex Uribe recognized the need to form a terrorist response task force consisting of experts from the Marine Corps, National Guard, the FBI, ATF, State Police, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The group met weekly at the Pasadena Police Department to strategize a response plan in the event that an explosive device were to be found along the parade route. Lt. Uribe assigned task force members into small response teams, equipped to handle threat assessment and to respond to and evaluate suspected explosive devices. To minimize the chance that the public might be alarmed by the sight of uniformed bomb experts, task force members drove unmarked vehicles and wore plain clothes when they deployed to their positions in proximity to the route.
In December police staff decided that recreational vehicles parked along the parade route would be subject to search. The next problem was to identify personnel resources. All department police officers and nearly all civilian employees were already committed to parade related assignments. Staff chose to ask community volunteers who had attended the Citizens-Police Academy (CPA) and were familiar with the department's community-oriented philosophy. The concept was that using civilian volunteers wearing tee shirts with the patriotic United We Stand logo on it and visible police volunteer credentials may be viewed as less threatening to recreational vehicle owners than police.
Fifty CPA volunteers offered to participate in Parade Watch. Management Analyst Janet Pope and Sgt. Rodney Wallace supervised the volunteers.
Event Planning staff prepared a letter from ChiefMelekian welcoming visitors to Pasadena and explaining the concept of Parade Watch. The bottom half of the letter was a consent form in which the signers agreed to allow police to search their vehicles.
The next step was to train the volunteers. Community Services Section personnel designed a two-hour training block for the volunteers. The staff explained that the volunteers were to report any suspicious behavior to police. Their primary function was to ask recreational vehicle owners parked along the parade route for their cooperation in signing a consent form agreeing to a vehicle search. Compliant recreational vehicle owners received a commemorative United We Stand decal to put on their windshield. The decal alerted passing police officers that the recreational vehicle occupants had consented to a search. The volunteers also asked the occupants to help ensure parade safety by calling the police department to report suspicious activity, including recreational vehicles parked without the police-issued decal.
A team of officers from the Special Enforcement Section paired up with explosives-detection dogs and their handlers from other departments. During the time the volunteers were working, the team made random checks of the areas, walking the dogs past countless parked recreational vehicles to see if the dog alerted to the presence of explosives. None of the dogs did. The team was also available as a resource for the volunteers should they report someone suspicious.
The volunteers kept logs to record names, vehicles, and demographic information of each recreational vehicle owner contacted. If the vehicle owners argued with the
volunteers or refused to sign, volunteers were not to try to coerce people to sign. Instead volunteers were to call for an officer who would answer any questions. Ultimately, if the owners did not sign, police were prepared to ask the person to leave, or, as a last resort, tow the vehicle away.
The Pasadena Police Department never found it necessary to search any of the recreational vehicles. The willingness of the vehicle owners to allow police to search, along with a lack of reason for police to believe that a search was necessary, assured us that under these circumstances, the department had met its objective.
# ASSESSMENT
Due to the nature of terrorism, the degree of impact Parade Watch had on preventing a terrorist bombing is difficult to assess; however, it is clear that no vehicle bomb was detonated at the 2002 Rose Parade. The absence of a terrorist attack is certainly due to the collective efforts of a multitude of government agencies and community organizations throughout the country. However, it is at the local level that all precautions must be coordinated and implemented to avert disaster. Parade Watch was the catalyst that started a community-based response that directly intervened in a potentially catastrophic terrorist attack. Out of nearly 700 recreational vehicles contacted, only two owners initially declined to comply. Both later cooperated with police requests. Not one RV needed to be towed from the parade route. The mass media embraced Parade Watch and gave it favorable coverage nationally and locally. Community leaders appreciated the positive publicity the city received from Parade Watch and promised future support for similar efforts.
In order to further assess the effectiveness of Parade Watch in terms of community acceptance, Event Planning Section personnel developed a five-item Likerttype questionnaire to assess the recreational vehicle owners' attitude towards Parade Watch. The questions were:
1) The events of September 11 had no bearing on my decision to attend this year's Rose Parade.
2) This year's Rose Parade was a safe event to attend.
3) Law enforcement created a safe environment for Rose Parade attendees.
4) While attending this year's Rose Parade the police made me feel safe.
5) I am planning on attending future Rose Parades.
The five available responses were: Strongly Agree-Agree-Neutral-DisagreeStrongly Disagree. An Event Planning Section staff member randomly selected 100 of the signed Parade Watch consent forms with phone numbers and called each one. Sixtyfour ( $64 \%$ ) participated in the survey. The results of this survey were extremely positive:
$92 \%$ of respondents agreed (Strongly Agree/Agree) with questions I through 4.
$79 \%$ of respondents agreed (Strongly Agreel Agree) with question 5.
The survey results suggest that there was strong support among the recreational vehicle owners who participated in Parade Watch. After the survey, one participant from New Jersey sent an e-mail to the Pasadena Police Department to reinforce the favorable impression the police made. He wrote:
"We live in New Jersey. Our main reason for driving from Texas to California was to attend the parade. Within $1 / \mathrm{z}$ hour of arriving at an on-street parking space, we were visited by two men representing the police department. They were very
courteous, asked us several questions (including whether we would allow them to inspect our RV), and provided us with a sticker to place in our front windshield. ...Everything we observed on both Monday and Tuesday regarding policing left us with a very positive impression of your ability to handle the large crowd present."
It is difficult to measure whether Parade Watch prevented a terrorist act. The methodology drew upon the concept of a temporary community to deter an emerging problem without alienating the public or the media. As one recreational vehicle driver told a local television news reporter: "We feel safe. The police are taking care of the neighborhood, and we are taking care of the neighborhood." To that extent, Parade Watch was successful in making people feel safe, and it will be refined and expanded for future Rose Parade operations.
REFERENCES
# REFERENCES
Alpert, G. and Flynn, D. 2000. Community Policing and Major Special Events. Police Quarterly. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Sage Publications.
Melekian, B. 2002. Eliminating the Threat of Terrorism at the Rose Parade. Subject to Debate.
Washington, D.C.: Police Executive Research Forum.
Office for Victims of Crime. U.S. Department of Justice. 2000 Responding to Terrorism Victims. http://www.ojp.usdoj.aovlovclpublicationslinforeslrespterrorismlwelcome.html
U.S. Fire Administration Service. 2000 The World Trade Center Bombing: A report and analysis. http: 1/www.usfa.1'ema.ovlpollusfapubsitr-076.pdf.
# SPECIAL
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
## BERNARD K. MELEKIAN - CHIEF OF POLICE
December 26, 2001
Greetings,
In the spirit of homeland security, the Pasadena Police Department is asking for your support in ensuring the safety of all those who come to see the parade. Vehicles parked within one block of the parade route may be subject to search. In appreciation for your compliance, the Department would like to provide you with a commemorative decal to place on the lower left windshield of your parked vehicle. This will allow officers in passing police cars to know that you are cooperating with our efforts toward public safety.
We also ask that you be the eyes and ears of the Police Department by reporting any suspicious people or vehicles to us at 626 744-4501. Thank you for helping to make this a safe and memorable parade.
BERNARD K. MELEKIAN
Chief of Police
I understand that by parking in proximity to the parade route, my vehicle may be subject to search.
| Name (Printed) | Signature | Date/Time |
| :-- | :-- | :-- |
CPAG Witness (Printed)
Vehicle year/Make/Model/Color
License/State
Street address (Optional)
City/State/Zip Code
Area code/phone
# Tournament of Roses 2002 Security Survey
1) The events of 9111 had no bearing on my decision to attend this year's Rose Parade?
Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral_ Disagree Strongly Disagree_
2) This year's Rose Parade was a safe event to attend?
Strongly Agree Agree_ Neutral_ Disagree Strongly Disagree_
3) Law enforcement created a safe environment for Rose Parade attendants'Strongly Agree_ Agree_ Neutral_ Disagree_ Strongly Disagree_
4) While attending this year's Rose Parade, the police made me feel safe.
Strongly Agree_ Agree_ Neutral_ Disagree - Strongly Disagree
5) 1 am planning on attending future Rose Parades'?-
Strongly Agree_ Agree_ Neutral Disagree_ Strongly Disagree
# Diaz, Marilyn
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Nanning De Vries, Ragnhild Monday, April 22, 2002 4:50 PM Diaz, Marilyn
FW: WWW PUBLIC COMMENT
Original Message -
From: web-server@ci.pasadena.ca.us [mailto:web-server@ci.pasadena.ca.us)
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2002 3:51 PM
To: rnanning@ci.pasadena.ca.us
Subject: WWW PUBLIC COMMENT
Subject: Tournament of Roses Parade
Name: Edward G. Jaasma
Address: 45 Acorn Pl
City: Colts Neck
State: NJ
Zip: 07722
Email: jaasma@monmouth. com
Date: $\quad 4 / 22 / 02$
Time: $\quad 3: 51: 08 \mathrm{PM}$
Comment:
CMDR Marilyn Diaz
' I was called last week with 5 questions regarding our experience with policing at the Rose Parade. I feel that a few additional comments besides my positive ratings are warrented.
We live in NJ. Our main reason for driving from Texas to California was to attend the parade. We drove to the parade area late Monday morning Dec 30. Within $1 / 2$ hour of arriving at an on-street parking space, about 100 yards from the parade route, we were visited by two men representing the police department. They were very courteous, asked us several questions (including whether we would allow them to inspect our RV), and provided us with a sticker to place in our front winshield. Although they did not enter our RV, we believe strongly that under present circumstances they must have the right to do so. Also, receiving the sticker we felt confident that we had not violated any rules, which we might not be aware of, regarding parade parking.
Everything we observed on both Monday and Tuesday regarding policing left us with a very positive impression of your ability to handle the large crowd present.
# Parade RV Statistics
YEAR
MOTOR HOMES
2000
2001
2002
NOTE: Photos of parade route only show immediate area of Colorado Blvd.\& do not give an accurate accounting of all motor homes attending the parade. To take into account the lost area over the five and a half mile route approximately 200 motor homes can be added to the above figures for any given year.
AGENCY
INFORMATING
# AGENCY AND OFFICER INFORMATION
Although the Pasadena Police Department's Event Planning Section was responsible for overall parade security, Chief Bernard K. McIekian initiated the concept of Parade Watch.
Management Analyst Janet Pope assumed primary responsibility for organizing and coordinating Parade Watch operations. The resources used to implement Parade Watch came largely from volunteer services and donations. There was a negligible fiscal impact to the police department budget. For more information please contact:
Janet Pope
Management Analyst IV
Pasadena Police Department
207 N. Garfield Ave.
Pasadena, Ca. 91101
626 744-4537
Fax: 626 744-3781
e-mail: jpofc@ci.pasadena.ca.uis
Marilyn Diaz
Commander
Pasadena Police Department
207 N. Garfield Ave.
Pasadena, Ca. 91101
626 744-4537
Fax : 626 744-3781
e-mail: nuliaz@ici.pasadena.ca.us