MPOs are beginning to consider implications of the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) legislation that requires specific attention for security elements in transportation planning. This most recent federal transportation bill extracts and differentiates safety planning and security planning as two distinct elements in MPO planning activities. "Security planning includes activities and products developed in response to identified criminal threats to high value, vulnerable elements of the transportation system" (Federal Highway Administration 2006). Safety may be distinguished from security, but the two elements are often highly interrelated in the activity scope of smaller MPOs. The difference between the two is that security places an emphasis on being protected from manmade and naturally occurring dangers or hazards. The MPO role in security may take many forms including facilitator, participant, or leader in the security-related activities. In many instances, these security activities may be related to other planning factors such as safety, accessibility, and efficiency. It seems that the federal directive recognizes this fact and is encouraging MPOs to address security in a way that is systematically efficient and effective. This presentation outlines the process for establishing the security element in the long range transportation plan for a bi-state MPO with an urbanized area population of 160,000.