Detroit Police Chief James Craig talks about security response for Inauguration Day

FOX 2 - While Detroit itself hasn't seen any mention of protester violence, Detroit Police Chief James Craig is always working with county and state law enforcement to be prepared. 

FOX 2: "What's most alarming about what happened on January 6th?"

"Frankly I don't blame the men and women on the ground, the police officers," Craig said. "They follow their leaders, their leadership failed them miserably. To even suggest that you had no inkling that there was going to be problems is it really a far cry from being accurate."

"The threat was there, they knew about it, days maybe even weeks, before they converged. I know, I have folks coming into the capital of the day before to make assessments. And then I'm trying to hear some of the other stories coming out about zip ties, to take out our sitting vice president, maybe take out other lawmakers. That would've been horrific, and you've got to lay blame where blame is, poor planning, failed leadership."

FOX 2: "We saw the warnings to rioters that they had Lansing covered.  Talk about how important it is to warn these lawless people to stay home?"

"Very key, if you will go back to Detroit, the fact that we communicated with the public, we let everyone know that we will not tolerate violence, criminal activity that it was a well-known fact," Craig said. "It didn't mean that that fringe group tried despite our warnings that we follow through on our promises. The key is following through on your promises. 

"Currently what was going on in Lansing, anybody who thought they would go there with the intention of committing a criminal act knew they were going to be met with a certain response from Michigan State Police and The National Guard. That's the real key, and that's what we did all summer here in Detroit."

FOX 2: "Take us to Washington where there is a huge perimeter and the 30,000 National Guard troops, how much can you protect it? How much concern is there about how safe this is going to be?"

"It would be very difficult for an individual or a group to penetrate that, they will be met very quickly with a certain response," Craig said. "So I think what you see today certainly should've been in place, or at least partially in place, during the day when the interaction took place. 

"It is so unfortunate, if you think about the greatness of our nation, to see these domestic terrorists converge and try to disrupt our democracy, horrific. (It) shouldn't have happened, it shouldn't have happened anywhere and that's why and I'll say it again, if that was happening here in Detroit, we would've been sufficiently staffed and prepared to deal with the threat."