FBI New Orleans
January 14, 2021

Public Safety Officials Remain Prepared for State Capitol Protests, Stress Importance of Safe and Peaceful Assemblies

BATON ROUGE, LA – Through a collaborative effort of federal, state, and local public safety agencies, officials continue to prepare for possible protests at the Louisiana State Capitol. Representatives from the Louisiana State Police; DPS Police; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal; Louisiana Attorney General’s Office; Louisiana Army National Guard; Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness; East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office; Baton Rouge Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; United States Attorney Office; and the Louisiana Legislative Sergeant at Arms are working closely to coordinate security protocols and ensure safety for protesters, capitol grounds and staff, and the surrounding community.

Although no specific and substantiated threat to life or property have been identified at this time to include the State Capitol or other government buildings, partnering agencies will continually monitor for potential security concerns and provide timely notification should this change. All agencies remain steadfast in our mission to protect our citizens and respect those who choose to exercise their First Amendment rights, including the right to peacefully protest. Criminal activity, the destruction of property, and the intentional incitement of violence prevents others from peacefully expressing their First Amendment rights and will not be tolerated.

In preparation, a multi-agency, unified command center will be utilized to maintain a heightened posture to monitor for any emerging threats to our state. The focus is to provide a centralized location for gathering intelligence, assessing potential threats, and providing any additional resources needed. All agencies involved will be focused on identifying, investigating, and disrupting individuals attempting to incite violence and engage in criminal activity during peaceful protests in Louisiana.

Citizens are urged to report suspicious and/or suspected criminal activity by utilizing:

As indicated nationwide, citizens with information on the incident that occurred at the U.S. Capitol last week or upcoming protests can notify the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or at fbi.gov/USCapitol.