By Denise Lavoie, The Associated Press
BOSTON --False alarms became useful drills for police, as they chased several reports of unattended or suspicious packages on the first day of the Democratic National Convention, which was being conducted amid unprecedented security.
Nine suspicious packages were reported Monday, including one left in a restroom at the FleetCenter, where the four-day convention is being held. They were all cleared by bomb squads.
Police were on high alert for the first national political convention since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
A helicopter and three fixed-wing aircraft violated secure airspace over the FleetCenter at different times Monday, said Joseph Mercuri, of the National Guard. But, the aircraft simply violated flight rules, and did not have any sinister motives, Mercuri said.
“Everything -- knock on wood -- is going as planned, and pretty quiet, actually,” said Ann Roman, a spokeswoman for the Secret Service.
Police spent the early morning hours Monday searching rooftops near the FleetCenter, after receiving a report of a possible parachuter. Commissioner Kathleen O’Toole said even though the report was a false alarm, it provided good practice for police.
“It caused us all to sit up and take notice, and it was a good test of our systems,” she said.
Commuter rail service on the Framingham line was stopped for about an hour because of an unattended baby stroller. In Haverhill, 35 miles north of Boston, a state police bomb squad evacuated 15 homes after a stolen truck carrying 14 propane tanks was found abandoned there. Both situations were investigated and resolved without incident.
Heightened security was evident at transportation hubs, both in Boston and outlying suburbs. Passengers on subways and commuter rail trains were subjected to random bag inspections.
During prime-time speeches at the FleetCenter, the area outside the convention hall was calm, delegates quietly streaming in and out. Protesters in the “free speech zone” had all but left as the night’s activities winded down.