All New York Police Department (NYPD) officers have reportedly been ordered to wear their full uniform on Tuesday in the event of a possible indictment of Donald Trump.
On Monday, the police department was on heightened alert to plan for the possibility of demonstrations, should a Manhattan grand jury decide to indict the former president.
NYPD officials unloaded barricades on Monday morning around the criminal court building in Lower Manhattan to increase security.
Mr Trump has urged his supporters to “protest” over his imminent “arrest” in the Manhattan case on Truth Social, claiming “illegal leaks” have indicated he will be arrested on Tuesday.
All NYPD officers, including the plainclothes detectives, will have to wear their full police attire starting at 7am on Tuesday, reported CBS News, citing an unidentified source.
The NYPD, New York State court officers, the US Secret Service, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office are all said to be involved in preparations leading up to the possible indictment.
It was also reported by The New York Times that more than a dozen senior figures in the NYPD and two public safety aides to the city’s mayor, Eric Adams, held a virtual meeting on Sunday.
Preparations have reportedly been underway since last week. Preliminary security assessments were being conducted and officials were discussing potential security plans in the vicinity of the Manhattan Criminal Court at 100 Centre Street, in case Mr Trump appears in person to face charges, according to NBC News.
CBS News also reported that an indictment might not come on Tuesday, but sometime later.
Mr Trump’s campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung had earlier lashed out at Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s office over what the Trump team claims is a “witch hunt” against the one-term president.
“President Donald J Trump is completely innocent, he did nothing wrong, and even the biggest, most radical left Democrats are making that clear,” Mr Cheung said.
