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(CNN) – Federal authorities are expected to reposition a “non-scalable” fence around the entire perimeter of the White House on Monday as law enforcement and other agencies prepare for possible protests around the election, a source confirmed to CNN. with knowledge of the matter. .
The fence, the same type that was put up during protests this summer, will span Ellipse and Lafayette Square. It will go down 15th Street to Constitution Avenue and then 17th Street. The fence will then extend to H Street and cross it at Lafayette, then down 15th Street, the source said.
NBC News was the first to report on the new fence. The Secret Service did not respond to a request for comment.
The added layer of security marks the most prominent example to date of authorities preparing for unrest after this year’s election, particularly if there is no clear winner on November 4.
As CNN previously reported, the immediate perimeters around the White House have already been largely blocked to the public this year for a variety of reasons, from construction on the White House gate to protests and looting that occurred downtown. Washington in the wake of George Floyd’s police murder in Minneapolis in May.
Lafayette Park, across the street from the north side of the White House and a popular protest gathering place, had also been heavily fenced in since police moved aggressively against protesters alongside it in July.
Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham warned the District City Council last month that there was high expectation of some form of civil unrest after the election. And many businesses in the downtown DC area near the White House have boarded up doors and windows in recent days in anticipation of possible protests.
During the past summer, some businesses saw their windows broken and other properties damaged by protesters.
But DC Metro police have been grooming their officers for more than a year, as they do before every general election, making sure they are prepared to handle everything from civil unrest to crowd control and potential disruptions in traffic from the metro, Patrick Burke, executive director of the Washington, DC Police Foundation, previously told CNN.
Police have also been working with intelligence officials to ensure the safety of Washington, DC airspace in the event of an attack from above, Burke added, as they routinely do when preparing for moments of heightened anxiety.
“If there is no winner, you will see significant deployments of officers at all levels in the capital,” Burke said. “Officers will receive cancellations of days off, shift extensions and full deployment of officers throughout the city.”
This story was first published on CNN.com, “Federal authorities hoped to erect a ‘non-scalable’ fence around the White House.”
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