Secret Service Dos and Don’ts for Inauguration Day

The Secret Service this week issued a thorough and specific security plan for the
2013 inaugural activities spanning Sunday and Monday, January 20 and 21. Because the
Department of Homeland Security has designated the inauguration a National Special
Security Event (NSSE), the Secret Service is in charge of creating and implementing
the plan. What that means is they are lead dog for the occasion, and everyone who
plans to attend official inauguration events should read up on the basic dos and don’ts:

• Do not forget your ticket if you have been issued one from the Joint Congressional
Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies to view the inauguration on the Capitol grounds.
Tickets are distributed almost entirely through members of Congress. A ticket and
valid ID are required to enter the Capitol grounds.

• Do take public transportation to the Capitol. If you are a ticketed guest, the recommended
Metro exits are Capitol South, Eastern Market, Union Station, NoMa-Gallaudet U (New
York Ave.), Judiciary Square, Gallery Place-Chinatown, Federal Center SW, and L’Enfant
Plaza.

• Don’t plan to take Metro to these station stops, because they will be closed: Smithsonian,
Archives, and Mt. Vernon Square.

• Don’t try to go to the Capitol grounds if you don’t have a ticket.

• Do, however, go to the National Mall if you don’t have a ticket. No ticket is required
to view the ceremonies from the National Mall, an area that begins at Fourth Street,
Northwest, and extends toward the Washington Monument. The entry points to this area
are Constitution Avenue, Northwest, at Seventh, Ninth, and 12th streets, and Independence
Avenue, Southwest, at 12th Street.

• Do become familiar with road closures. See the DC government’s map online.

• Do be prepared for a security screening. They will definitely occur at the Capitol
grounds for ticketed guests, and for the general public and ticketed guests entering
the inaugural parade route, the area of the White House viewing stand, and the inaugural
balls at the DC Convention Center.

• Do expect long lines for security screening.

• Don’t bring any of these items with you to the ticketed viewing areas of the Capitol
grounds:

• Do note these security entry points for the inaugural parade. They open at 6:30
AM on Monday, January 21:

• Don’t bring any of these items with you to the inaugural parade route, the area
of the White House viewing stand, or the inaugural balls:

• Do bring signs and placards to the inaugural parade, if you care to, but do make
sure they are made only of cardboard, posterboard, or cloth and have dimensions of
no more than 3 feet wide, 20 feet long, and one quarter inch thick. If you don’t meet
this requirement, your placard will be taken away from you and not returned.

• Do not expect to debate the merits of these rules with any person handling a security
checkpoint or screening area. They don’t take kindly to those kinds of debates, and
you won’t win.

Our advice: For the inaugural ceremonies and parade, dress warmly with a hat, gloves,
and comfortable shoes, and pack very light—be sure to have ID, tickets, some money
and credit cards, your Metro card if you have one, a fully charged phone, your glasses,
and your patience. For the balls, dress festively but comfortably, still pack light,
remember ID, tickets, money, and, if relevant, where you parked the car or the phone
number of your hired driver.

And, of course, remember to have fun and enjoy the historic occasion.

Carol Ross Joynt