Heavy security deployment in D.C. for possible unrest during and after election count

Law enforcement agencies have implemented a large security presence at key locations around the country, anticipating potential unrest during the counting of election results. The police deployment is particularly heavy in Washington D.C., including around the Capitol.

Months ago, several federal agencies warned that the election could trigger violent demonstrations. As a precaution, security perimeters have been established around the homes of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. 

At the vice president's residence, workers even put up a fence over three feet high as an added security measure.

In Washington, Oregon and Nevada, the National Guard has been put on alert to deal with the unrest. Military sources quoted by Reuters claim that there are military troops on alert in many other states as well.

In Detroit and Atlanta, the largest cities in Michigan and Georgia, two key swing states, election offices have been enclosed behind armored glass to protect staff from potential unrest. Meanwhile, a vote-counting facility in Philadelphia has been surrounded by barbed wire for additional protection.

In Arizona, security is heightened at polling places and election offices, particularly in Maricopa County, which was the focal point of the 2020 election fraud allegations.

County Sheriff Russ Skinner said his department will be on "high alert" for potential threats and violence, with personnel on standby: "We'll have a lot of resources out there, a lot of personnel, a lot of equipment," he added, noting that sheriff's deputies will use drones to monitor activity around polling places, and snipers, along with other reinforcements, will be ready to deploy if violence is imminent.