Police Fortify Numbers for War Protests

"Our intelligence unit has been working with other agencies to gather as much information as possible," Fear said.

Besides the rallies related to the war in Iraq, D.C. police are preparing for demonstrations at the downtown headquarters of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, which are scheduled to hold meetings next weekend. The semiannual gatherings often draw anti-globalization and other protest groups, and D.C. police said they will close some streets and station about 300 officers near the buildings to handle crowds and traffic.

The police warning law, passed in April, came in response to police handling of another IMF-World Bank protest. In September 2002, police rounded up about 400 demonstrators and bystanders in Pershing Park and arrested them, even though they had not been given an order to disperse. This year, the District government agreed to pay $425,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by seven people who the city acknowledged were wrongfully arrested. A class-action lawsuit against the city is pending.

Lanier said there will be subtle changes in the police response next weekend, most of them not visible to bystanders. Among the differences, the department educated officers about the new law's requirements and restrictions. If officers need to don riot gear, they will be required to display badge numbers clearly on their helmets, she said.

Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, co-founder of and a lawyer with the Partnership for Civil Justice, has been working closely with police to obtain permits for the antiwar demonstration. She said she did not expect problems at the rally or with the police response. She is taking her 7-month-old son to the rally, she said.

"I think police are going to try to show that they are trying to abide by the Constitution," Verheyden-Hilliard said.

Staff writer Petula Dvorak contributed to this report.