DENVER — No matter who wins Tuesday’s election, law enforcement agencies across the country, including in Colorado, are preparing for the possibility of civil unrest and even violence.
There has been no indication of election-related violence in Colorado but authorities are not taking chances.
“Certainly, we have thought through some of the potential things that may happen,” said Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas.
Thomas said the Denver Police Department has been preparing for months.
“We've actually been preparing for what may happen after the election since early this year,” Thomas told the Denver Citizens Oversight Board.
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Thomas said DPD will have officers stationed at drive-thru ballot drop-off sites and polling centers throughout the city. He said officers will also conduct continuous sweeps of election sites with bomb-sniffing dogs.
Thomas said his department’s intelligence team will be watching areas across the city.
"Monitoring both online and just kind of locations where demonstrations tend to gather,” he said.
The police chief said Denver PD is prepared to make mass arrests on Election Night or in the following days, should it become necessary.
“We've also identified investigators to help with mass arrest processing. I know the sheriff's department is ready for an influx of prisoners should there be some mass arrest situation,” Thomas said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it has set up command posts in every field office.
“Our teams of investigators, including election crimes coordinators in each of our 56 field offices, including Denver, remain vigilant in detecting those trying to undermine our political process. We will aggressively investigate any allegations of voter fraud or other election crimes,” said Vikki Migoya, public affairs officer with FBI Denver. “Our focus is on protecting elections from potential threats so Coloradans can have confidence in their democratic process.”
Threats to election workers have increased in recent years. Former Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams said it’s appropriate for people who are upset with election officials to threaten to not reelect them or to recall them, but some people cross a line.
“What is not appropriate are threats to engage in violence or against someone’s family or other things along those lines,” said Williams. “And you see sometimes people cross the line on both sides of the aisle. That’s not appropriate.”
Thomas said DPD has not received any information that suggests people will engage in violence in Denver.
"There's been absolutely no intelligence to suggest that anything is going to happen on Election Day or beyond. We continue to monitor that, but so far there's been no threats of anything,” the police chief said.
As a precaution, he said Denver PD will be fully staffed in all police districts for several days after the election and is prepared for different scenarios.
“We do know, though, just because of the volatility of the situation. There could be bomb threats. There could be suspicious powders or objects left at polling places,” Thomas said. “And so, we have gone through those scenarios with the Elections Division.”
In 2020, some business owners in downtown boarded up windows ahead of the election due to concerns their businesses could be targeted in civil unrest. This year, because no credible threats have been identified, DPD said it has not done any proactive outreach to businesses or property owners.
"Should a significant issue arise, notifications will be sent to the surrounding area alerting them to the issue and the recommended action (shelter in place, etc.)," DPD said in a statement Monday.
The FBI said Colorado residents can report election-related crimes, including voter fraud, voter suppression and threats to election workers by sending an email to DenverFBITips@fbi.gov. If someone is in imminent danger, call 911 or your local police department.
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