FBI, local agencies joining on security
Efforts united amid unrest rumors
The current coordination between the FBI and law enforcement agencies across the U.S. to protect against violent demonstrations leading up to next week’s inauguration is similar to the cooperation that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, an FBI official in Little Rock said Friday.
In the wake of the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, D.C., that left five people dead, the FBI has warned that armed protesters may gather in all 50 state capitals in the lead up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, The Associated Press reported this week.
Ryan Kennedy, a supervisory special agent with the FBI’s Little Rock field office, said coordination among federal and local agencies is common, but it has ramped up since last week’s mob attack on Capitol Hill.
“You know it is something that we experienced in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack, where the entire FBI was mobilized to address a singular issue,” Kennedy said. “It is something that we experienced in the wake
of the Oklahoma City bombing where the entirety of the FBI was mobilized. This is something we actually do as an agency very well.”
An example of that coordination can be found in the arrests in recent days of two Arkansans who authorities said were at the pro-Trump riot in Washington, D.C., Kennedy said.
Police have arrested Peter Francis Stager of Conway and Richard “Bigo” Barnett of Gravette after they participated in the melee at the U.S. Capitol, authorities said. Stager was charged with one count of obstructing a police officer from his duties during a civil disorder and is accused of being the man seen in video beating a police officer with an American flag.
Barnett, who was photographed sitting at a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.
“While our operation tempo has picked up, as I’ve said, this is something that we are used to doing,” Kennedy said.
In Little Rock and in state capitals across the country, there are vague references to protests and unrest beginning this weekend and leading up to Wednesday’s inauguration, law enforcement officials said.
The FBI has said it is tracking an “extensive amount of concerning online chatter, ” including calls for armed protests.
While many states, including Arkansas, are sending members of their National Guards to help protect the nation’s capital, many are also using guardsmen to protect their own Capitol buildings.
As of Thursday, a spokesman for the Arkansas National Guard said its help had not been requested in Little Rock.
Additionally, some states have temporarily closed their capitols. In Texas, the Capitol will be closed from Saturday through Wednesday after public safety officials discovered evidence of likely armed protests and “violent extremists.”
The Arkansas Capitol will be closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, but the General Assembly is to be in session Tuesday. The state House of Representatives will not meet Wednesday in accordance with a rule that recesses the body on the days of presidential inaugurations, but several state Senate committees are scheduled to meet that day.
Most of the security in Little Rock this weekend and on Inauguration Day will be handled by local law enforcement, Kennedy said.
Kennedy’s main job with the FBI is assessing the agency’s powers in accordance with the Bill of Rights. With some people potentially traveling to Little Rock to peacefully protest, investigations into pro-Trump rioters need to be balanced with the rights of citizens to protest the government, he said.
“That’s the primary role that I play right now, ensuring that our agents are mindful of the Constitution and are ensuring that we are protecting people’s constitutional rights,” Kennedy said.
An Arkansas secretary of state’s office spokesman said earlier this week that the state Capitol Police are aware of the FBI’s alert and coordinating with other agencies.
Similarly, the Arkansas State Police is aware of the threats and has beefed up its presence at the Capitol, an agency spokesman said this week.
The Little Rock Police Department in a statement Friday acknowledged the protest rumors. The statement said the city had not received any protest permit requests related to the inauguration.
“After the FBI issued this warning earlier this week, we began coordinating with other municipal, state, and federal agencies to ensure preparedness and vigilance,” the statement said. “Thus far, we have not received any credible threats or reports.”
Pulaski County sheriff’s office spokesman Lt. Robert Garrett said his department is monitoring for possible protests and has made manpower adjustments to protect its own buildings and assist other agencies as needed.
“We have plans in place for our targets that we’re responsible for, and, of course, we will be available if our assistance is requested,” Garrett said.