NewsNation

More security measures put into place as states prepare for possible protests

PHOENIX (NewsNation Now) — It was mostly a small crowd gathered outside the Arizona Capitol Saturday, where public safety officials have spent the past week putting extra security measures into place.

A second line of fencing went around the Capitol complex this week and Friday, barbed wire was added as another security layer.


But on Saturday, it was a small and quiet crowd.

Meantime, multiple law enforcement agencies are on alert and making their rounds.

Like other states, Arizona took action following this week’s FBI warning of armed protests and potential violence this weekend. 

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has activated a thousand National Guard troops to protect the Capitol in Sacramento.

“We’re treating this very seriously and deploying significant resources to protect public safety, critical infrastructure and First Amendment rights but let me be clear, there will be no tolerance for violence,” Newsom said.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has expressed similar sentiments in response to the FBI warning.

“We’ve been informed of threats in all 50 states regarding our Capitol complexes. We don’t have any additional information to share about Colorado-specific threats,” said Polis.

Oregon is also at the ready for whatever may happen in Salem. 

“We are in close coordination, we are assessing all of the intelligence that we have as it comes in and preparing appropriately,” said Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack.

As a precaution, both Utah and New Mexico have already declared a state of emergency.

In Arizona, the National Guard is on call and public safety officials have said they will continue to monitor developments both locally and nationally.