[DailyCaller] - Police departments are likely to collect intelligence on social media, cancel days off and prepare tactical response teams ahead of possible Election Day unrest.
- A New York-based police union official likened the city’s level of preparedness to the days following 9/11 and said “This is not something to take lightly right now.”
- Two union officials told the Daily Caller News Foundation that officers should apprehend instigators quickly in the event that riots break out as the election nears.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) on Oct. 24 told businesses within the boroughs to prepare for possible political violence, The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 24. The department has reportedly been preparing for weeks to keep the city secure in the event of election-induced calamity.
Miami, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Orlando, Chicago and other major cities have also reported prepping for possible violence, according to Fox News.
Slocumb also indicated that law enforcement agencies can establish arrangements with surrounding departments, known as mutual aid, to establish contingency plans if more officers are needed to supplement a certain city’s police force. Those same authorities are likely to begin talks with local trauma centers and their respective fire departments, he said.
The union official, however, insisted that the department’s response is contingent on the “marching orders” given by Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration. Vallelong said previous decisions by de Blasio during earlier racial justice riots proved to be ineffective.
“I know what should be done, but it’s gonna be a matter of what are the marching orders that are going to be given from city hall when all of this happens,” he said. “We know from the past with watching what we saw — they let everybody run loose and pretty much destroy everything in the city.”
Vallelong also said the NYPD is struggling with a lack of officers, as the department experienced a 75% surge in retirements compared to 2019, according to Newsday.
Additionally, Yonkers, Westchester, and other New York agencies pledged to refuse to enter the city following a police reform bill that banned chokeholds and other methods of restraints, NBC New York reported.
“If it gets that bad and the NYPD can’t handle it, I don’t know of a bigger police department out there that could come and save them,” Vallelong said. “At that point you’re talking about the National Guard.” 
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