ATLANTA — Georgia National Guard members are going to Washington to help with security at the presidential inauguration for Joe Biden.
But the Guard is also on standby to protect the Georgia state Capitol against armed protesters. They have the manpower to do it.
The Guard’s job is to ensure a peaceful transition of power in D.C., and also help keep the peace over at the state Capitol.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“We’ll have several dozen members of the Georgia Air National Guard that will be engaged in inauguration support,” said Georgia National Guard Major General Thomas Carden.
Carden said they’ll work with National Guard members and police from the around country to prevent violence perpetrated by an angry mob on Jan. 6.
TRENDING STORIES:
- QUICK LINKS: Here’s where you can get COVID-19 vaccines in metro Atlanta
- Police searching for rapper they say is tied to shooting death of Atlanta man
- Fulton County glitch causes appointment headache for hundreds trying to get COVID-19 vaccine
“We were horrified by what we saw last week, and we are more than a little determined to make sure that we have a peaceful transition of power in this country,” Carden said.
On the home-front, the National Guard will have troops around the state Capitol after the FBI said we could see gun-toting protestors in the next few days.
“We have a formation on a very short notice to move and reinforce our law enforcement professionals. We’re in a business to stand and deliver. We’re not going to fail our governor, we’re not going to fail this state,” Carden said.
The general said the governor signed an emergency order that allows them to back up the police.