CBI says no substantial security threats have surfaced to DNC

DENVER - At the Colorado Bureau of Investigation there have been monthly meetings about security for the Democratic National Convention since January of last year.

There are 17 committees and subcommittees. It is a massive undertaking involving many agencies. The Secret Service, FBI, CBI, State Patrol and the Denver Police Department are just a few of the agencies involved.

"We are going to be the focus of the world and we want it to go smoothly. You have to plan for everything for an event like this," said Lance Clem with the CBI.

Taking on a security plan for a national event such as this is very different than before the September 11th terrorist attacks. Clem said the security measures are "new for convention planning, but it is not new to Homeland Security."

The state's water and food sources, power stations and major venues already have security in place because of the Homeland Security efforts. Clem says that means the city is prepared for scenarios that they wouldn't have been ready for 10 years ago.

"This is just like any Homeland Security scenario; we practice responses to certain events all the time whether there is a convention or not," he said. "Plans have been put into place for all kinds of scenarios; everything that ranges from things we don't even want to talk about or mention, to having a very peaceful and a very nice convention."

9NEWS asked if any threats have been identified.

"You know, people make all kinds of crazy claims but nothing has surfaced at this point that falls into the category of actionable intelligence," said Clem.

Most of those claims have been made online. The CBI and FBI have been monitoring the Internet constantly.

"Thanks to the Internet, people make a lot of claims that they can't support or that are overblown but the indications that we have are that this is going to go very well," said Clem.

Most of the questions about specific security will not be answered. That is the nature of security plans.

"We are trying to be cautious. We don't want to give away everything that is happening. It is better for us to be protective of that information to ensure everyone's safety," said Clem.