Colorado State Patrol, Denver Police Have Plan To Protect State Capitol In Possible Post-Election Unrest
DENVER (CBS4)- The state Capitol is part of the plan as officials prepare for the possibility of unrest after the election in downtown Denver. During the protests this past summer, the state Capitol has been targeted by vandals, which resulted in more than $1 million in repairs.
Gov. Jared Polis' Office released this statement to CBS4: "While the Governor supports the peaceful exercise of free speech by all sides, he will work with the State Troopers and Denver Police Department to prioritize preventing violence and damage to property."
The Colorado State Patrol gave CBS4 this statement, "Our top priority has and will remain the protection of life - that includes the general public, those protesting, people working in the Capitol, or that of our members. While we plan to protect the infrastructure of the State, these situations are fluid. Each incident will be evaluated, and, if there are violations of the law, we will take appropriate action."
Denver's Director of Public Safety has stated that the Denver Police Department is working with federal law enforcement and activating the city's emergency operations center and public safety command post for the very first time in the possibility that there is unrest after Tuesday's election.
Some downtown Denver businesses are preparing for possible protests by boarding up windows and adding additional security measures.