14 DAY TRIAL // In the eve of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony, the Federal Bureau of Investigations pulled out its biggest and best equipment out of the garage, and set it loose on the streets of Washington. Needless to say, there will be FBI agents everywhere, on rooftops, balconies, but, most of all, on the streets and in the crowds, keeping an eye on things, and ensuring that no harm comes to the nation's new president.
One of the most useful vehicles to have around at such an event is the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle (first picture), which is similar to those used in Afghanistan and Iraq for carrying American troops safely across dangerous zones that may be laden with mines. In case of an emergency evacuation, officials will be placed inside, and the vehicle will follow designated routes to safety.
An FBI bomb technician's vehicle (second picture) is among the most impressive designs on the streets, a sturdy, reinforced construction built for just one thing – to allow experts to defuse, or, in case of extreme emergency, detonate a bomb inside, without serious repercussions to the outside world. It will be used in case such a device is found, and, after picking it up, will drive along designated routes to the nearest town exit.
Another important feature of the defense is a bomb containment vessel (third picture), a large metal enclosure shaped like a bubble that can carry explosives safely out of danger zones, and even detonate them if there's no time left for preventive actions.
In the event that something is to go wrong, an evidence response team vehicle is also on stand-by (fourth picture). Its job is to deploy an immediate response in case of an incident, and to collect forensic pieces of evidence from crime scenes as earliest as possible, so as to prevent contamination. Its capacity to get to the relevant spot on time could mean the difference between finding out who did what or the case turning “cold.”
The most impressive feature the FBI has rolled out in the eve of the inauguration is the Mobile Command Vehicle (MCV) (fifth picture), which is able to coordinate all Bureau operations in the field whilst moving. It will play a crucial role in ensuring that FBI agents in the crowds and appropriate response teams can communicate flawlessly and in real-time, so that all preventive measures to be employed in case of an emergency are most successful.
