Wisconsin National Guard Mobilized To Support Capitol Police

MADISON,WI— Gov. Tony Evers authorized on Monday the Wisconsin National Guard to support Wisconsin's Capitol Police, according to a news release. Troops will mobilize to state active duty to support safety and security efforts at the State Capitol in Madison.

The troops are part of the Wisconsin National Guard Reaction Force, which consists of troops trained to respond to requests for assistance on short notice.

“Once again, our state has asked our Citizen Soldiers in the Wisconsin National Guard to answer the call to keep our state, its citizens, and its institutions safe,” said Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin's adjutant general. “We ask a lot of our troops who must take leave from their civilian employers and their families, and I'm proud of the sacrifices they make on a daily basis to serve their fellow citizens.”

The mobilized troops will serve in a State Active Duty status in support of the Capitol Police. To protect operational security, the Wisconsin National Guard will not discuss troop numbers, movements, timelines, equipment, tactics, or procedures, the release said.

The Wisconsin statehouse windows were boarded up on Monday. This comes as reports say that starting on Sunday and going until Inauguration Day, armed rallies are being planned at all 50 state capitols and at the U.S. Capitol, according to a report from ABC News and others.

In Washington, D.C., five people died Wednesday as a mob of angry rioters upset over the outcome of the Nov. 3 presidential election forced members of Congress into hiding within the U.S. Capitol. Offices were ransacked, and the congressional tally of Electoral College votes paused for more than six hours.

Democrat Joe Biden was officially declared the winner early Thursday morning after the hours long delay and despite lengthy delays caused by the debates over the objections to the Electoral College votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Both objections failed in the U.S. House and in the U.S. Senate.