Truck Convoys Lead DC Police To Heighten Security For State Of The Union

WASHINGTON, DC — Police officials in Washington, D.C., are coordinating with the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Secret Service, with protesters expected to arrive in the city for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, including those in trucker convoys.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the city’s emergency operations center has been activated in preparation for possible demonstrations. The State of the Union is considered a National Special Security Event, which means the U.S. Secret Service is the lead federal agency in charge of security for the event.

Fencing around the U.S. Capitol has returned for the president’s State of the Union address. Police cars with flashing lights are stationed at major intersections and highways, and the D.C. National Guard will be working with law enforcement on traffic control and other security matters.

The U.S. Capitol Police listed several road closures around the Capitol for the State of the Union address on Tuesday, with some closures starting at 5:30 p.m. others at 7 p.m.

"These are the same road closures the USCP has had in the past and are not related to the potential truck and vehicle convoys," the Capitol Police said.

Metro also advised bus customers of possible traffic disruptions Tuesday evening that may result in detours or delays through the downtown D.C. area. The transit system encouraged to use Metrorail as an alternative.

The Metropolitan Police Department is sharing information with federal police agencies about possible security threats, D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said at a news briefing Monday.

Protesters have a right to “unobstructed freedom of movement” in the city, but D.C. police “are prepared to take swift” action against unlawful activity during the trucker convoy protests and other demonstrations, Contee said.

“While we expect the best, we always plan for the worst,” he said.

“Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know,” Contee said about what he expects with the protests. “And we want to be in a posture of preparedness here in Washington, D.C.”

Along with the D.C. National Guard, police officers from Baltimore and Philadelphia are expected to join the MPD in D.C. to provide security for the State of the Union address, Contee said.

Law enforcement officials are taking no chances following the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when a violent mob successfully stormed the U.S. Capitol, briefly disrupting the certification of Biden’s 2020 presidential victory.

At the news conference on Monday, Sean Gallagher, the acting assistant chief of the Capitol Police, said a perimeter fence was put up again around the Capitol out of an “abundance of caution.” He said a decision will be made on the fence's removal after the State of the Union address.

The National Park Service approved a permit for an event Tuesday afternoon at the Sylvan Theater on the National Mall near the Washington Monument.

U.S. Park Police Chief Pamela Smith said the National Park Service has approved no other permits for events in D.C. for later in the week or on the weekend, when a trucker convoy that started in California is scheduled to arrive in the D.C. area.

The application for the Sylvan Theater event was filed by Maryland small business owner and independent gubernatorial candidate Kyle Sefcik on Feb. 18, WUSA9 reported. The event, “Stage of Freedom,” was expecting an estimated attendance of 1,000 to 3,000.

On the permit for the Sylvan Theater event, the organizer said rally-goers will participate in “Peaceful Demonstration/Assembly! Christian Music/Speakers against mandates. Support of Convoys in Canada. Lifting mandates in DC/USA.”

By early afternoon, the Stage of Freedom had attracted only a few people, with more members of the media on hand to cover the event than supporters of the trucker convoys.

Contee said officers will aim to get voluntary compliance from truck drivers who initially refuse to move their trucks. But if truckers fail to move their vehicles, "it could lead to an arrest," he said.

A group of truckers behind a rolling protest known as The People's Convoy plan to arrive in the D.C. area on Saturday. The People's Convoy is protesting COVID-19-related restrictions and what they view as government overreach.

When asked how long the MPD plans to be on alert in response to trucker protests to avoid the type of blockades that paralyzed Ottawa, Canada's capital city, earlier this year, Contee said, "I don't plan on going anywhere."

"We're going to keep the [security] posture in place for as long as it needs to be in place. And we'll see what happens," he added.

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