All-Star security team presents program to U.S. Attorney General

[Woodmonkey]

All-Star security team presents program to U.S. Attorney General
By Rhianna Daniels

PITTSBURGH--The U.S. Attorney General in last week requested and received a briefing from the team charged with securing this year's Major League Baseball's All-Star Game -- praising the multi-agency project for its success with securing the stadium and the its surroundings during the game held earlier this summer.

Kevin Hallinan, senior vice president of security and facilities management at MLB, said he and his team along with eight other agencies, including the Pittsburgh police and the FBI, were summoned to present a briefing on the event to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales -- focusing on the cooperation between the multiple agencies across the board. The event was prior to Gonzales' speech at the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh titled "Stopping terrorists before they strike: The Justice Department's power of prevention."

Jeff Podobnik, director of security and contract services for the Pittsburgh Pirates, said Lieutenant Scott Schubert, who led the security operations for the game, presented on "the unprecedented cooperation of the agencies here in Pittsburgh."

Hallinan said that the request echoes the importance of security in today's environment.

"The attorney general is certainly looking to take notice of these types of events," he said.

Securing the game brought together 54 different agencies on a national and local level and Hallinan noted that it is important to have a variety of different agencies involved in an event such as this because of its scope -- encompassing one week of events and accounting for thousands of fans and hundreds of players on site, not to mention the population of the surrounding area.

"I was in law enforcement for 25 years and what kept us from greatness was the turf battles we had to overcome," he said. "This event showed how well (multiple agency) coordination can be done."

Podobnik also said the successful operation was directly related to the agencies' ability to provide their time and additional assets.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, Hallinan said it has been easier to coordinate security efforts at high profile events.

"It is just so comprehensive in scope that it take a lot of commitment and resources to get the job done," he said.

The Source