Construction is slated to begin Monday on a “non-scalable” fence surrounding the White House Complex, according to multiple news reports.
Federal law enforcement sources told NBC that the protective measure would secure the White House Complex, The Ellipse, a 52-acre park south of the White House fence and Lafayette Square, according to NBC News correspondent Geoff Bennett. Hundreds of National Guardsmen are on standby as the work begins.
As Election Day approaches, the fence will reportedly serve as the same buffer it did during the summer, when protests began to emerge outside the White House. With contention mounting about the results of Tuesday’s election, officials are concerned about protests and uprisings that could occur at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, a knowledgeable source told CNN.
Lafayette Park, which sits on the north side of the White House, has often been the site for protests and served as a gathering spot in July when police and demonstrators battled as a result of the deaths of several Black people in police custody, including George Floyd.
According to reports, police in Washington, D.C., have been working with intelligence officials to also secure the airspace around the area in the event that there is an aerial attack, Patrick Burke, executive director of the Washington, DC, Police Foundation, told CNN. It is common for officials to monitor for those types of attacks when there are concerns that civil disturbances will occur.
“If there’s no winner, you will see significant deployments of officers at all levels across the capital,” said Burke. “Officers will get cancellations of days off, extensions of shifts and full deployments of officers across the city.”
This is a developing story.
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