INAUGURAL SECURITY AIDES PLAN FOR THE WORST

First it was the unannounced visits to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. Next, it was the statement that he planned to buy his own bagels at a Washington deli "if I want to." Then, George Bush invited the public to visit his new house on Saturday.

And now, as the inauguration of the 41st president officially opens, the question preoccupying security-conscious Washington is: Will he or won't he?

"At this point, there is no plan for him to walk or get out of the car, but anything is possible," said one former campaign official working on inaugural preparations. "He does things like that all the time."

Longtime press aide Alixe Glen adds: "Generally, George Bush doesn't like to walk by a hand that he doesn't shake."

Leaving the limousine to walk the parade route or breaking from the security cocoon to shake a hand -- those are the kind of actions that send shivers down the spines of the Secret Service agents. But if George Herbert Walker Bush chooses to exercise his presidential prerogative during the next five days, law enforcement officials say the most technologically advanced security apparatus ever created for an inauguration will be ready for him.

"The rule of thumb is that we plan for the worst-case scenario," said Secret Service spokesman William Corbett. "If we have made security arrangements for that, everything else falls into place."

Little will have been left to chance: Banks of computers in command centers across the city will chart every movement of Bush and Vice President-elect Dan Quayle, keeping track of every crime along their path, even incidents of pickpocketing. All mailboxes, trash cans and newspaper boxes will be removed from the 16 blocks of the parade route; manholes will be sealed and inspected by security teams.

Bomb-sensitive dogs will be everywhere. Nearly two dozen members of the U.S. Capitol Police's canine explosion detective unit will take an extra sniff of the stage on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol after the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings and before Bush takes the oath of office.

The heaviest burden for security will fall on the D.C. police department, which already has been stretched by last year's unprecedented number of homicides and drug-related crime. All days off have been canceled for the city's 3,900 police officers, who will be joined by hundreds of other officers from nearly a dozen other law enforcement agencies and the military.

"The demands on my officers and the stresses that my officers are feeling is unparalleled," said Assistant D.C. Police Chief Isaac M. Fulwood Jr. He said part of the reason for canceling all leave was to maintain regular coverage of other parts of the city during the festivities. The inauguration "is democracy at its best, but the deaths never leave my conscious thought."

The image of Washington as murder capital has not been lost on the inaugural committee, which reports a number of discussions with out-of-town supporters who say they are afraid to visit Washington. "I detect much greater concern about it this year than in the past," said one committee official.

Although most law enforcement officials interviewed said they were concerned about Washington's soaring homicide rate, they said they expect little spillover from the city's drug-fueled problems. Except for the raucous antiwar demonstrations during Richard M. Nixon's first inauguration, inaugurations have generally been times of light crime because many people are attending the events or inside watching them on television, police say.

"Unless Bush is making a drug deal or trying to take over somebody's drug turf, I don't think he's in any danger," quipped Robert Klotz, a former D.C. deputy police chief who handled inaugurations for the department and is now a security consultant.

The length and size of the festivities -- a five-day national party set at a time of heightened concern about terrorist attacks -- make it "a logistical nightmare," said Secret Service spokesman Corbett.

Bush is expected to attend many of the 27 official events -- the most ever -- and with him will come overhead helicopter protection, bomb sweeps, checks of all hotel and staff guest lists, countersnipers poised on rooftops, swarms of plainclothes police officers and frequent traffic jams.

What makes the inauguration different from other events is that it is a national celebration, a symbolic moment historically used by presidents to tell the nation who they are and set a tone for their administrations.

Small personal gestures that otherwise might go unnoticed can take on great meaning. Dwight D. Eisenhower agreed to be lassoed on the parade reviewing stand, delighting the American people, but causing fears among the Secret Service that he would be pulled off the stage. At his second inauguration, Nixon took the oath of office bareheaded and without an overcoat, then stood up in his limousine, smiling and waving at the crowds all the way back to the reviewing stand. Jimmy Carter, in one of his most popular moves, strode down the 16 blocks of the parade route.

"Bush is a fairly easy individual to work with," said Fulwood. But asking that he not do anything spontaneous is "like talking to this brick wall. I recognize as a police officer that he is a political individual, so in order to carry out his mission as president, he's going to press the flesh. After all, this is America."

No one is saying whether Bush plans to surprise the crowds with a foray into the throngs at the inaugural events, but if he did, it would send a message that "he was a very approachable human being, which George is," said his campaign media adviser, Roger Ailes.

Ailes, who for security reasons hopes Bush will not walk the parade route, said "that is the kind of president that he wants to be . . . that somebody can come to him and tell him what they think."

But will he or won't he?

"Bush wrote the script for this inauguration right down to the little things," an administration official said. "The point is that Bush has built into this everything he is."

Staff writer Ann Devroy contributed to this report.

TODAY

Inaugural Opening Celebration

Open to the public, free

4 p.m. -- pre-program entertainment 3:30 p.m.

Lincoln Memorial

Inaugural Dinner

Ticketed, $1,500 per person

8 p.m.

Three locations

American Presidential Pageant

Ticketed, open to the public, free

7:30 p.m.

Constitution Hall

TOMORROW

American Presidential Pageant

Ticketed, open to the public, free

2, 5 and 7:30 p.m.

Constitution Hall

Looking Forward: An Inaugural Forum

Ticketed, open to high school juniors and seniors, free

10 a.m.

D.C. Armory

Salute to the First Lady

Ticketed, $50 per person

11 a.m.

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Vice Presidential Reception

Ticketed, $20 per person

2 p.m.

National Museum of American History

Inaugural Gala

Ticketed, $250 or $150 per person

8 p.m.

Washington Convention Center

FRIDAY

Church Service

Private

9 a.m.

St. John's Church, Lafayette Square

Swearing-In Ceremony

Free, some areas by invitation

11:30 a.m.

The Capitol, West Portico

American Bicentennial Presidential Inaugural Parade

Open to the public; free for standing room

Ticketed: $100, $75, $12.50 per person

2 p.m.

Pennsylvania Avenue

American Bicentennial Presidential Inaugural Ball

Ticketed, $175 per person

8 p.m.

Nine events at eight locations

Young Americans Ball

Ticketed, $30 per person

8 p.m.

Two locations

SATURDAY

White House American Welcome

Open to the public

8 to 11 a.m.

The White House

"George to George -- 200 Years"

A Children's Inaugural Festival

Ticketed, open to the public, free

2 p.m. Pre-show festivities, 1:30 p.m.

Constitution Hall

An American Tribute to Democracy

Ticketed, open to the public, free

8 p.m.

Constitution Hall

Celebration for Young Americans

Ticketed, $35 per person

8:30 p.m. (doors open at 7:30 p.m.)

Washington Convention Center

SUNDAY

National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving Service

Ticketed, open to the public, free

11 a.m.

Washington Cathedral

WEATHER CONTINGENCY PLANS: In case of very inclement weather, three outdoor inaugural events may be affected:

The Inaugural Opening Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial would be relocated to the Grand Foyer of the Kennedy Center. Attendance would be limited to the 5,000 special guest ticket holders.

The swearing-in ceremony at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol would be moved to the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Attendance limited to 1,000 individuals with platform tickets.

The Inaugural Parade on Pennsylvania Avenue -- should weather pose an extreme health hazard to the participants and spectators, an alternate event would be held -- location is to be announced.

Compiled by Bridget Roeber

Parade Route Restrictions: No vehicles will be allowed to cross the parade route from 8 a.m. to about 4:30 p.m., when the parade is expected to end. Pedestrians will be barred from crossing the route after 1 p.m. The parade will start at the Capitol Building and go west on Constitution Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue, west along Pennsylvania Avenue to 15th Street NW, north on 15th Street and then west again on Pennsylvania Avenue past the White House to 17th Street.

Traffic Control Area: No traffic will be allowed inside the traffic control area outlined on the adjacent map, except residents and others with a legitimate need to enter. Those who must enter should carry identification verifying residence or workplace. Delivery truck drivers should be able to show bills specifying addresses to which they are making deliveries. However, no one will be allowed to cross the parade route after 8 a.m.

Additional street closings: Rock Creek Parkway from Virginia Avenue NW to Ohio Drive SW.

Inner circle of West Basin Drive restricted for parking for Kennedy Center Ball.

Access to White House and parade route: Barriers will block public access beginning at 8 a.m.

Emergency No Parking Restrictions: Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday, no parking will be allowed along the parade route. Parked cars will be towed. The ban also will affect these streets:

E Street NW from Sixth to 14th streets

H Street NW from 18th to 22nd streets

I Street NW from 20th to 22nd streets

Ninth Street NW from E to H streets

13th Street NW from E Street NW to New York Avenue

17th Street NW from Constitution Avenue to I Street

18th Street NW from D Street NW to Pennsylvania Avenue

19th Street NW from E street NW to Pennsylvania Avenue

20th Street NW from E to I streets

Pennsylvania Avenue NW from Third to 21st streets

Independence Avenue from Second Street SE to 14th Street SW

Street Reopening: Streets will begin to reopen after the parade ends about 4:30 p.m., and most major roads will be reopened by 6 p.m.

SOURCES: Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Park Police

Articles appear as they were originally printed in The Washington Post and may not include subsequent corrections.