WASHINGTON D.C. — Security is ramping-up nationwide ahead of the inauguration, as law enforcement hopes to prevent any future acts of violence following the attack on the Capitol.
Nearly two weeks after a pro-Trump mob stormed the historic building, many are left wondering how it was even possible.
“Bad evaluation of the intel. We're still not sure how much of the intel that the FBI had went to the Capitol Police with, but clearly they did not respond to it sufficiently to be prepared for the event that actually occurred,” Security and Defense Expert Dr. Steven Bucci told FOX 17.
Bucci is a former top Pentagon official and Army Special Forces officer. He says in light of what happened at the Capitol, law enforcement officials are now preparing for the worst.
“It's a different regime right now they're going to do things very differently. They're going to assume the worst and be prepared for it,” Bucci said.
He believes preemptive action by the DOJ in the days that followed, including numerous arrests and scouring the internet for leads, will help prevent future violence ahead of the inauguration.
“A lot of the people involved in this are wannabes, they're not criminal geniuses that are out there, they think 'oh well, this would be a great thing to do,' but it gets kind of discouraging when the guys in the black suits come and knock on your door and say, no, you better not do this we're watching you,” Bucci said.
Which could have already deterred people from anticipated protests on Sunday, like in Lansing where demonstrators were vastly outnumbered by police and the National Guard.
“Just because you can change the magazine on an M4 real fast, doesn't mean you're a tactical genius. A lot of those folks hopefully just get discouraged and stayed home, others get caught, you know if they try and do something, the law enforcement officials can grab them and take the appropriate steps to ensure they don't do anything like that,” Bucci said.
As far as the upcoming inauguration goes, Bucci says this is something law enforcement and Secret Service have always had a keen eye on.
On top of street closures that have already happened and a huge National Guard presence, officers will implement some new technology to thwart any potential violence in D.C.
“If I was a bad guy, I think it'd be a good week to stay home because you're not going to get away with what you think you are and the stuff that comes down on you to stop you, is going to be pretty extreme,” Bucci said.
“We've got a lot of ways to express our opinions and our displeasure in some cases with our elected officials. So do that and then work for the next election, that's the way our system works. It's worked for over 200 years it's a pretty darn good,” he added.
