The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Police say they’re watching for protesters
HARTFORD — Police and members of the National Guard were out in force Sunday, stationed around the state Capitol grounds in anticipation of protests ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration this week.
Inside the emergency operations center, a smaller group of law enforcement agents closely watched video surveillance, monitoring for “bad actors” and potential violence.
Few demonstrators showed up in Hartford with no confrontations, and a state police spokesman says law enforcement delivered its message.
Brian Foley, of the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, said the police presence was intended to “dissuade any bad actors from coming to the city” and to “dissuade any sort of massive, violent event.”
Connecticut authorities are looking to avoid clashes like the one that occurred Jan. 6 in Washington D.C., where thousands of President Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building as the nation's
representatives gathered to formally approve Biden as the next president.
The FBI warned of potential armed protests in Washington and at all 50 state capitol buildings ahead of Biden’s inauguration, prompting law enforcement around the country to be on high-alert.
On Sunday, small groups
of protesters convened outside heavily protected statehouses across the nation, including in Connecticut where a handful of protesters and counterprotesters gathered.
As units patrolled the Connecticut Capitol grounds outside, law enforcement in the state’s emergency operations center
used surveillance cameras and drone footage to keep an eye on any activity. With few protesters, the roughly dozen officers maintained focus on the video monitors.
The video screens showed drone footage over the governor's mansion. Law enforcement in the
Connecticut authorities are looking to avoid clashes like the one that occurred Jan. 6 in Washington D.C., where thousands of President Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building as the nation's representatives gathered to formally approve Biden as the next president. room said the drone over the mansion was to monitor for protesters, but few showed up.
“It was about transparency,” Foley said of the state’s plans for the massive police response at the Capitol.
Foley said he posted photos to the state police Twitter page, and officials alerted the media that police were planning to be ready.
“We wanted to let any bad actors know, ‘we’re out here,’” Foley said, adding that spreading the word also let the public know that law enforcement was monitoring the situation.
The Capitol Avenue offramp from Intestate 84 was shut down until about midafternoon. The driveways to access the Capitol building, grounds and parking garage were blocked off by cones and state troopers.
But the scores of protesters never showed with only a handful eventually gathering in the early afternoon and fizzling out soon after — much like a “MAGA drag” vehicle parade that was planned for the previous day.
Foley said that while police are “scaling back” their presence following the weekend’s calm gathering, they are “still watching” for any activity.
“We remain cautious, but optimistic,” state police said Sunday. “Although you may begin to notice a reduction in law enforcement resources and presence in many areas in Connecticut, we will remain vigilant through the coming days.”