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An estimated 4,000 additional police officers are expected to be on hand in Washington, D.C., in January for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, the city’s police chief says.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith says her agency has been "in the planning process for the inauguration since the mid-summer."
"We have reached out to several police agencies across the United States of America and the majority of them have been very, very intentional about supporting us during the inauguration," Smith said Tuesday. "We hope we can get to 4,000 police officers to assist us in this process. We are close to that number.
"We do have other agencies who are continuing to reach out to us. And as they reach out, we will accept their request to provide mutual aid support for the District of Columbia during the inauguration process," Smith added.
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The police chief also said her department has been in touch with local partners such as DC Fire and EMS and the Office of Unified Communications on a "regular basis."
"With our federal partners, we have been meeting with them on a bi-weekly basis. And sometimes on a weekly basis to determine what intelligence information that may arise, not just in D.C. but across the U.S.," Smith said. "And we will continue with those efforts as we progress into the certification of the election as well as the inauguration."
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The certification of the election results is set for Jan. 6, 2025, while the inauguration will happen two weeks later on Jan. 20.
The U.S. Secret Service previously announced in September that the "2025 Counting and Certification of Electoral Votes in Washington, DC on Jan. 6, 2025, has been designated a National Special Security Event by the Secretary of Homeland Security."
"National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance," Eric Ranaghan, the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Dignitary Protective Division, said at the time. "The U.S. Secret Service, in collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners are committed to developing and implementing a comprehensive and integrated security plan to ensure the safety and security of this event and its participants."
