Following violent protests at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, the FBI released information about potential future protests around the nation ahead of Inauguration Day. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies across the country are now working to prepare for those possible demonstrations. O’Neill IUPUI Senior Lecturer Dr. William Foley, Jr. spoke about those preparations and how agencies will work to address growing concerns.
In an interview with WRTV’s Megan Sanctorum, he why local and federal officials are working to prepare for any additional protests.
“They’ve got threat and they’ve got intent, so what they’re doing now is they are preparing capabilities,” Foley said. “They are going to get resource capabilities out to stop something like this.”
Dr. Foley also said that agencies are learning lessons from the events of last week.
“I think more attention will be paid to capabilities,” Foley said in the interview. “Threat assessments are good, but you have to marry that to your own capabilities, and they fell short there. We have the right of the First Amendment for demonstrations, and we need them. That is what keeps democracy vibrant, but when a demonstration turns into a riot that’s a different matter.”
You can watch the full WRTV story with Dr. Foley at this link.
