WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — In the wake of last week’s violent riot at the U.S. Capitol and with only five days before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, law enforcement is not taking any chances about security in Washington, D.C.
“We’re certainly in a posture to respond,” Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., Police Chief Robert Contee said.
The national’s capitol is locked down, with dozens of streets spanning from Capitol Hill to downtown D.C. blocked off, 11 subway stations shut down and barbed wire topping the fences surrounding the Capitol.
The National Mall — a tourist favorite that stretches between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, contains the Washington Monument and national war memorials and is lined by Smithsonian museums — will be closed for nearly a week.
Law enforcement is even considering closing down bridges from Virginia into the city.
“Our posture is aggressive and it’s going to stay that way through the inauguration,” FBI Director Chris Wray told Vice President Mike Pence Thursday.
He said federal law enforcement has set up an extensive system to track threats.
“We and our partners will take advantage of every lawful authority and method we’ve got to disrupt any attempt or attack,” he said.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who was a prime target in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol as a mob tried to stop the certification of the Electoral College Vote, said the unprecedented security should not be taken as evidence that they have gotten what they want.
“I think it’s important for people to know that this is not a concession to the terrorists,” she said.
Biden has postponed his inauguration rehearsal to Monday.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is urging the public to stay home for the actual ceremony on Wednesday and “enjoy it right in their own states, in their own living rooms.”
