Photo: VisionsofAmerica/Joe Sohm / DigitalVision / Getty Images
FLORIDA - Law enforcement agencies across South Florida are providing security at the presidential inauguration on January 20th in Washington D.C., joining thousands of officers and military personnel in safeguarding the nation’s capital.
Ten officers from the North Bay Village Police Department are set to depart Saturday morning to assist with security measures alongside more than 25,000 law enforcement and military members stationed around the U.S. Capitol and the inauguration parade route.
North Bay Village Police Chief Carlos Noriega emphasized the importance of this mission, noting this marks the department’s first time participating in inauguration security.
“Especially on the heels of what happened in New Orleans and Las Vegas… the threat that obviously hangs over an event of this nature,” Noriega told NBC Miami.
“They’re there to do a very serious job, a very important job.”
Preparations are already underway in Washington D.C., with security fencing rising around the Capitol as agencies finalize security protocols.
Several other South Florida agencies are also contributing personnel, including the City of Miami, Miami Beach, Sweetwater, West Miami, Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office, Coral Gables, and Golden Beach.
Upon arrival in Washington D.C., officers will face frigid temperatures and wet weather conditions.
To prepare, the North Bay Village Police Department provided specialized cold-weather gear, including jackets, headgear, boots, and thermal socks.
The decision to deploy officers stemmed from a request received during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last summer.
Chief Noriega highlighted the value of this opportunity, telling NBC Miami, “It’s great for our officers to have this kind of experience and great to be involved in something with so much networking opportunities, crowd control opportunities, and a chance to grow as an officer by something of this magnitude.”
All deployment-related expenses will be reimbursed, and Chief Noriega assured that staffing levels in North Bay Village will remain sufficient during the officers’ absence.