Air patrols, cameras to watch big inaugural crowd

Law enforcement officials bracing for the largest crowds in inaugural history are preparing far-reaching security _ thousands of video cameras, sharpshooters, air patrols _ to safeguard President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in.

People attending the ceremony and parade on Jan. 20 can expect to be searched by machines, security personnel or both. Precautions will range from the routine _ magnetometers like those used at airports _ to countersnipers trained to hit a target the size of a teacup saucer from 1,000 yards away. Plus undercover officers, bomb sniffing dogs and air patrols.

The Secret Service _ the agency coordinating the security _ also has …