Washington, D.C. is preparing for post-election protests regardless of who wins on Tuesday by boarding up businesses near the White House, deploying more officers, and urging residents to say something if they see something. 

The preparations began in the days leading up to the election, with business owners putting up plywood defenses around their storefronts at downtown D.C. Independent journalist Andrew Leyden posted photos and a video of boarded up businesses near the White House on Wednesday, showing plywood plastered across the storefronts similar to how businesses were protected in 2020 during the unrest following George Floyd’s death at Minneapolis. 

In a statement provided to the New York Sun, the Metropolitan Police Department says they are preparing for all scenarios should violence break out in the wake of the 2020 election. 

“We recognize the importance of upholding the First Amendment rights of individuals to peacefully express their views, and we are committed to facilitating lawful demonstrations while maintaining public order,” the police department says. “While there has been no indication of any large-scale protests, events, demonstrations, or violent activities, MPD encourages the public to remain vigilant.”

The department added that additional security measures and road closures will be put in place in the lead-up to the certification of the election on January 6, 2025, and during the presidential inauguration two weeks later. 

“I want to emphasize that this is just a proactive measure, and there’s no need for alarm,” the chief of the MPD, Pamela Smith, said at a press conference on Tuesday. “I want to be very clear: we will not tolerate any violence of any kind. We will not tolerate any riots, we will not tolerate the destruction of property, we will not tolerate any unlawful behavior. Offenders will be arrested.”

Ms. Smith noted that additional officers will be deployed on the streets, and that some will be taking longer shifts to help with protecting Washington residents during election week. Thousands of additional officers will be brought into the nation’s capital in the weeks after the election to help secure the city for the electoral certification and the inauguration. 

In recent days, a number of ballot drop boxes across the country have been vandalized with incendiary devices, leading some votes to be destroyed. Ms. Smith says her department is aware of such issues, and that they are taking special care to make sure that all voters’ ballots are accurately tabulated. 

“We — as in the Metropolitan Police Department — we will pay special attention to ballot box drop-off locations and our polling places. We are aware of the incidents across the country where ballot boxes have been tampered with, and we will not stand for any instance of voter intimidation — of disruption — in this electoral process,” Ms. Smith said.