'Very worried about next week': Airports, transit brace for more D.C. chaos
"This is as serious of a law enforcement threat as Ive seen, potentially, in my career," said Amtrak Police Chief Sam Dotson.
By TANYA SNYDER and STEPHANIE BEASLEY
01/16/2021 07:00 AM EST
Airlines are banning guns and suspending alcohol service. Amtrak is beefing up its police force to prepare for anti-mask riders. Airports are creating safe zones so lawmakers can escape threatening mobs. And security agencies are calling in extra agents to help keep the peace as Washington, D.C. braces for an Inauguration Day like no other.
Inaugurals are always crowded affairs with hefty security and complex logistics. But the riot at the U.S. Capitol building last week has officials from airports, airlines, transit agencies, Amtrak and more preparing for a repeat, as potentially violent protesters crowd into the city for President-elect Joe Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration.
Amtrak Police Chief Sam Dotson said his force usually calls in additional officers for an inauguration, but that this year is anything but typical.
Weve done this four years ago and even four years before then. But this is the first time were putting in place a plan where theres been an active assault on the institutions of our democracy," Dotson said he told his officers. This is as serious of a law enforcement threat as Ive seen, potentially, in my career.
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https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/16/transportation-dc-inauguration-travel-airports-amtrak-chaos-459777