With Election Day coming up, safety is at the top of many people's minds.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has been doing riot training in case potential protests get out of hand.
This is a video of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Civil Disturbance Management Team, or CDMT, training for violence or chaos after Election Day.
“We don’t know what will happen,"
Sgt. Bryan Washko said. "No matter who wins, there’s going to be opposition and we hope they are peaceful, but if not we’re prepared.”
The horses separate the few bad ones from the crowd, and then DPS arrests them.
Washko said they respect the First Amendment right to protest, but they'll bring out the Clydesdales if there is violence or property damage.
“It is an effective tool. It’s intimidating to stand by a two thousand-pound horse, "Sgt. Washko said.
They’ve been using the horses since 2015 and now have 13 Clydesdales. They are looking to buy more since the state’s population is growing.
DPS deployed the CDMT in Austin in 2020 during the George Floyd protests.
Sgt. Washko told me they’re preparing for not just the day after Election Day but also the months leading up to January and the inauguration.
