PORTLAND, Ore. — Ahead of Election Day, Portland’s Unified Command shared their preparedness plan for potential civil unrest that could come following the election.
Authorities said Tuesday that they will be having all-hands-on deck, starting next week and in the days and potentially weeks to follow. Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day said there will be no time off for officers next week, and they will be working 12-hour days.
The main elections office will be staffed with uniformed security officers, and Day said people should expect officers to be in high visibility. Local, state and federal agencies will all work together to stay prepared and vigilant as well.
"We're deploying several resources, including uniformed and non-uniformed deputy sheriffs and marked and unmarked cars, across our country," said Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell.
This followed state and local officials signing a letter, urging for peace following the election.
This is all in an attempt to prevent the chaos that erupted after the 2016 election, as well as the 2020 unrest following the murder of George Floyd. Officials are trying to prevent the destruction seen then from reoccurring, as the Portland Metro Chamber notes an increase in business and population in the city since the pandemic.
District Attorney Mike Schmidt was at Tuesday's meeting.
“There's no place for violence or destruction in the lead up to or the aftermath of this election," he said. “I want to affirm our commitment to a peaceful, safe election here in Multnomah County."
While officials continuously expressed that they respect people exercising their right to assemble, they emphasized it must stay lawful, or they will face consequences. They also said this time, with the resources they have, they will be able to manage the city appropriately, and a repeat of 2020, where former President Trump called in federal agents to establish order, will not be necessary.
Officials said if you see something, say something and report it. They said they will continue to operate with increased preparedness for as long as necessary and have the resources to do so.
Portland police emphasized that this preparedness plan was being set in motion long before the ballot box fires earlier this week.