Politico | US airports and transit agencies brace for chaos in run-up to Joe Biden’s inauguration

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Tanya Snyder and Stephanie Beasley on politico.com on January 16, 2021.

Airlines are banning guns and suspending alcohol service. Amtrak is strengthening its police force to prepare for anti-mask riders. Airports are creating safe zones so lawmakers can escape threatening mobs. And security agencies are calling in extra agents to help keep the peace as Washington, DC braces for an Inauguration Day like no other.

Inaugurals are always crowded affairs with hefty security and complex logistics. But the riot at the US Capitol building last week has officials from airports, airlines, transit agencies, Amtrak and more preparing for a repeat, as potentially violent protesters crowd into the city for President-elect Joe Biden's January 20 inauguration.

Amtrak Police Chief Sam Dotson said his force usually calls in additional officers for an inauguration, but that this year is anything but typical.

“We’ve done this four years ago and even four years before then. But this is the first time we’re putting in place a plan where there’s been an active assault on the institutions of our democracy,” Dotson said he told his officers. “This is as serious of a law enforcement threat as I’ve seen, potentially, in my career.”