Ohio police ordered to have riot gear ready for election 'unrest'

At The Raw Story:

11/04/2008 @ 8:12 am

Filed by David Edwards and John Byrne

It sounds like the kind of thing that precedes "elections" under dictatorships: Riot police being readied for "civil unrest" during a presidential vote.

But the location is in the United States. According to an internal memo acquired by the local NBC News affiliate, Toledo, Ohio police officers have been ordered to "have their riot equipment with them Tuesday and Wednesday."

Police chief Mike Navarre told the network officers will carry equipment similar to the gear they used during 2005 race riots.

"They have been asked to have their helmets and their gas masks available tomorrow and Wednesday," Navarre said, "That's the equipment they would not normally carry with them on a normal day."

Police chief Navarre added that officers wouldn't be station[ed] at individual polling places -- but the memo says otherwise. According to NBC, it reads, "On Tuesday, units shall be directed to patrol the polling locations."

This video is from CNN's American Morning, broadcast Nov. 4, 2008.