Police agencies beef up security near airport for campaign stop

BANGOR – People were lined up Wednesday to get tickets, temporary parking bans near the airport were in place, and police officials were going over extra security measures in preparation for today’s campaign visit from President George W. Bush.

Republican officials are anticipating a crowd of 10,000 to gather at Bangor International Airport to hear what the president has to say during his Bangor campaign stop.

“If they get 10,000, that will be, in my experience, more than what they’ve had in the past,” Deputy Chief Peter Arno of the Bangor Police Department said Tuesday.

Volunteers at the ticket site on Maine Avenue, one of five ticket distribution places around the state, said they gave out “hundreds” of tickets Wednesday morning, but were unsure of a total number.

Exact figures were unavailable because no one from the Bush-Cheney campaign would answer questions on the record.

“I’ve always been interested in politics,” volunteer Aaron Jellison, 11, of Hermon said.

The youngster was helping Wednesday at the ticket distribution site with his mother, Linda Jellison.

She and her son volunteer as part of his home-schooling program, the mother said.

Aaron Jellison said he was excited to see the president again after seeing Bush in Bangor and shaking his hand the first time he ran for office.

To handle the large crowd expected to descend on the city today, Bangor police and Maine State Police have been working in conjunction with the U.S. Secret Service to ensure that the president’s visit runs smoothly and safely.

The three agencies have been coordinating where officers will be located, what will be expected of each unit and possible scenarios they will face.

Arno said that over the years, several presidential and vice presidential candidates have visited the city, but this crowd estimate is one of the highest he’s encountered.

“We have a pretty good format of how these visits are handled,” Arno said. “Generally on all dignitary visits that require Secret Service, we work closely with Secret Service to ensure the safety of whoever the visitor is.”

Bush drew a crowd of about 4,000 when he visited Bangor in October 2002 to support Republican candidates running for office. Today is his third visit to Bangor.

Bangor and state police plan to use regularly scheduled on-duty officers and will call in extra officers who normally would be off to help with security at the presidential rally and to provide extra coverage on local roads for traffic control, police officials said.During Bush’s arrival and departure in Air Force One at the airport, travelers may incur a delay, but “flights will not be significantly impacted,” BIA Director Rebecca Hupp said Wednesday. “It won’t impact our operations.”

Some people concerned that the extra security measures necessary for the president’s visit might eat up tax dollars shouldn’t be concerned, city officials said.

Actual cost to the city won’t be determined until after the event. Any overtime accrued by Bangor police officers will be paid for by a Homeland Security grant previously obtained by the department, Bangor City Manager Ed Barrett said.

“The [Republican] campaign will be paying for the use of the airport and for personnel time at the airport getting ready for the event,” Barrett said Wednesday.

The city manager said it’s important for the rally to be held at the airport where security measures already are tight and can be strictly enforced.

The nearby National Guard base does not plan to take any additional security measures, according to Maj. Peter Rogers, spokesman for the Maine National Guard. The base already has guards at its gates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Because of the type of mission that the 101st [Air Refueling Wing] has, it’s very secure [at the base] anyway,” Rogers said. “Our security level is elevated. This is a day-to-day thing that we’ve been dealing with since 9-11.”

Rogers was unsure if any missions were scheduled during the president’s visit, but said if there were any planned, they would take place as scheduled.