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Federal agencies mobilize stepped-up security measures ahead of Inauguration Day
KTVU's Emma Goss reports.
ALAMO, Calif. - National security is on high alert ahead of Inauguration Day. On Sunday, armed members of the National Guard, some in military vehicles, were on patrol around the state capital in Sacramento.
"California will take every necessary measure to protect public safety and our democratic principles," Governor Gavin Newsom said Thursday.
Even with the threat of violence looming over the Biden inauguration, vice president-elect Kamala Harris told NPR on Friday that the choice to go forward with an outdoor ceremony is not in question.
"I think that we cannot yield to those who would try and make us afraid of who we are," she said.
Former FEMA presidential appointee, Mark Neveau, says he is confident that federal agencies are better prepared for potential violent protests than they were ahead of January 6, when pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol.
"This is an incident of national significance, much like the G8 Summit, there's planning that takes place for months in advance, whereas what happened at the Capitol was somewhat spontaneous," Neveau said.
"Although there was intelligence and there's great questions as to why more precautions weren't taken, this is a different situation," he added.
FEMA, the FBI, and Secret Service have been preparing inauguration safety protocols for nine months, according to Neveau. They've developed an elaborate security plan to protect not only the inauguration itself, but state capitals across all 50 states.
In Washington D.C. alone, the government is deploying 25,000 National Guard members, surrounding the Capitol with 9-foot razor wire fencing, and keeping 150 ambulances on standby.
The United States Postal Service is also temporarily removing 12 collection boxes in San Francisco, and more throughout other major U.S. cities. Four years ago, this safety measure only applied to mail in Washington D.C., CNN reported.
Some stepped-up protocols are directly related to lessons learned from the events of January 6, although the federal investigation is still ongoing.
"You can bet they're utilizing the tools, techniques, and historical as well as intelligence information for this inauguration that is different than previous inaugurations," Neveau said.