Summary

Supers/Fonts: Monday

Washington, DC


Chief Pamela Smith

Metropolitan Police Dept.

Story Location: Washington

State/Province: District of Columbia

Shot Date: 07/01/2024

URL:

Notes and Restrictions:

Newsource Notes:

Story Description:
Elements:
VO locator of venues for summit; VO of security; VO of public transportation; VO file from 2022 US-African Leaders Summit; Sound from DC police chief

Wire/StoryDescription:
International ambassadors and their staffers will converge in D.C. next week for the three-day North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit and D.C. and federal agencies are gearing up for the significant event.

D.C. is where NATO was established in 1949, and this month will mark the first time the conference has been held at the nation's capital since December 1999. The last NATO Summit held in the U.S. was in Chicago in 2012.

We have a lot of experience hosting large-scale events in D.C., and with the support of our federal and regional partners, we are ready to make sure that next week is a safe and smooth experience for the dozens of world leaders who will be here, said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in a statement. Were encouraging residents and visitors to plan ahead, sign up for alerts, and leave extra time and have patience if you are moving to or through Downtown.

In early June, officials provided a glimpse into the security measures, resulting in traffic delays and closures around the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Mt. Vernon Square and Federal Triangle. Several embassies, hotels, and other venues will see increased security with more road closures.

Officials said they've been formally preparing for the summit for the past five months.

Back on June 10, the U.S. Secret Service declared the NATO Summit a National Special Security Event (NSSE), meaning the agency oversees security planning and implementation until world leaders leave on July 11. The Federal Bureau of Investigation will handle any potential terrorist threats, while the Metropolitan Police and D.C Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency work with them to observe local threats.

Officials said Monday there have been no credible threats to this summit and they continue to monitor the situation.

Temporary road and sidewalk closures will be in effect intermittently beginning July 8 as security measures including anti-scale fencing are installed. Official closures begin July 8-11 around Washington Convention Center, Carnegie Library, and Mount Vernon Square.

A security perimeter will be set up around the convention center and International Trade Center. Residents and business owners entering the security zones will need to show ID to pass through, officials said.

Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said they were made aware of several demonstrations and will step in if they get violent.

"We promote First Amendment activities and free speech, but we will not tolerate any violence," Chief Smith said Monday.

Expect intermittent closures around the White House on July 10.

Between July 9 at 9:30 a.m. to Friday, July 12, at noon, the following roads around the convention center will be closed. Road closures will occur on a rolling basis so expect sudden changes.

7th Street from I Street to O Street, NW
8th Street from N Street to O Street, NW
9th Street from H Street to O Street, NW
10th Street from H Street to O Street, NW
I Street from 8th Street to 10th Street, NW
I Street from 6th Street to 8th Street, NW (No traffic west on I Street)
K Street from 6th Street to 11th Street, NW
Allen Y Lew Place from 7th Street to 9th Street, NW
L Street from 6th Street to 7th Street, NW
L Street from 9th Street to 11th Street, NW
M Street from 6th Street to 11th Street, NW
N Street from 6th Street to 11th Street, NW
New York Avenue from 6th Street to 12th Street, NW
Massachusetts Avenue from 6th Street to 11th Street, NW
Some road closures are expected to start July 6 as crews set up security fencing.

MORE |FULL LIST OF ROAD CLOSURES AND ACCESS POINTS

Officials also encourage residents to text NATODC to 888-777 to get updates on road closures.

Starting Monday, July 8 at 8 p.m. until July 11 at 8 p.m., Metrobus routes 63, 64, 70, 74, 79, D4, D6, G8, and S2 will be detoured.

For Metrorail customers, Federal Triangle station will be closed from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July 9 and Mt. Vernon Square will be closed between 11 a.m. July 9 to 5 a.m. July 12. Trains will pass through the stations without stopping during these times.

MetroAccess customers within the perimeter will not get door-to-door service, and work is underway to establish drop-off service.

RESIDENTIAL
Rideshare/taxi drop-off and hot food delivery drivers will be allowed to get through certain areas through a screening area, though all vehicles of any kind will be blocked from entering the pedestrian-restricted areas outlined in the image above.

Trash services, mail, and package delivery will be allowed to enter all blocked-off areas during an adjusted overnight schedule. All deliveries will need to go through a screening site on New York Avenue Northwest at 6th Street Northwest starting July 10.

Station Notes/Scripts:

Basically theres three main areas where well see surrounding closures, as early as next Monday here at the convention center, the White House.. and Mellon Auditorium in the Federal Triangle area.

Pedestrians can still access businesses and residences in these closure zones.. but theyll be streamlined through designated entrances.

Cars will be blocked off in certain zones.. and screened in others.

Officials are encouraging people to use public transportation next week, versus drive.

Two metro stations will have closures.. and bus lines will be detoured.. around the convention center.

The last time the district has hosted an event of this scale was in December of 2022, with the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.

And were told the footprint of next weeks summit.. is even larger.

So once again, we can expect to see temporary fences put up.. and members of the National Guard on-hand, working alongside police and federal agencies.

Police are anticipating protestors too, just like we saw at the leaders summit here.

The chief says, theyre ready to support demonstrators right to free speech.

[[11:44:39]]

[[SOT Chief Pamela Smith / Metropolitan Police Dept.]]

We are always prepared. we have a civil disturbance unit will be prepared and on standby. We also have other partners here in the regional area that will also support us in that space.



URL: https://wjla.com/news/local/nato-summit-washington-dc-secret-service-police-convention-center-mt-vernon-federal-triangle-security-fbi-national-international-local-transit-metrobus-traffic-impact-security-safety-protest-threats-world-leaders-embassies-hotels-motorcades#

--SUPERS--

--VIDEO SHOWS--

--VO SCRIPT--

--LEAD IN--

--SOT--

--TAG--

--REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS--

-----END-----CNN.SCRIPT-----

--KEYWORD TAGS--