Gov. Mills Puts Maine Ntl Guard On Standby Ahead Of Inauguration

Following the riots in Washington DC last week, and as we near the January 20th inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, state capitals across the country are stepping up security.

According to WMTW, out of an abundance of caution, Governor Janet Mills has put the Maine National Guard on standby ahead of possible protests at Maine's State House.

In response to national reports, one of which came from the FBI, the Maine Department of Public Safety is preparing for any potential events that could occur between Sunday and President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday.  Mills did say that, at this point, there is no evidence that there will be any incidents in Maine.

In a statement she said:

There is no credible evidence at the moment to suggest that any protests that may occur in Augusta will be anything other than peaceful. But based on what we saw last week at the U.S. Capitol, and like many of my fellow governors across the country, I am activating the National Guard out of an abundance of caution. Doing so allows them to be ready to act in the event their support is needed.

For the most part, the Maine State House has been closed to the public since the beginning of the pandemic.  With the exception of a few media events, the only people who have access to the building are lawmakers and authorized employees.

The Capitol Police have added additional security screening procedures.

This story will continue to be updated...