Cities gird in case of trouble Tuesday

Stores in cities across the United States — from Fifth Avenue in New York City to the nation's capital to Beverly Hills in California — are boarding-up windows, while extra police are set to be deployed in case of violence over election results on Tuesday.

The boarding-up of storefronts also was underway in downtown Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Houston, Detroit, Chicago and other cities.

The moves come as tensions run high among supporters of Republican President Donald Trump, who is making last-minute campaign stops in his bid for a second term, and Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

Along Fifth Avenue, at least 45 luxury stores have been boarded up, including jeweler Tiffany & Co. A spokesperson for Tiffany said in a statement: "Out of an abundance of caution, the windows of select stores in key cities will be boarded in anticipation of potential-election related activity."

A spokesperson for Macy's flagship store on 34th Street in Manhattan said its windows will remain dark, and the company will take "additional security measures" at several other stores.

Many boutiques in the SoHo area of downtown Manhattan also have been boarded-up.

In downtown Los Angeles, stores have been secured and protected against possible looters. Beverly Hills' famed Rodeo Drive, home to high-end boutiques, will be locked down for two days beginning on Tuesday. Some stores have hired private security to protect them.

CVS Pharmacy said it will board up many of its stores but will stay open for customers as long as it's "safe to do so". Target also plans to board-up some department stores.

Blocks from the White House, hair salons, restaurants and clothing stores have covered windows with plywood. A large, temporary fence described by various media outlets as "non-scalable" will be installed around the White House, the National Park Service said.

Last week, Walmart temporarily stopped selling guns and ammunition in case of violence on Election Day, but on Friday it brought back firearms to sales floors.

Police departments nationwide have posted officers at polling sites and will increase their numbers in streets for the days following the election because there could be no clear winner on Election Day due to mail-in ballots still being counted. More than 96 million Americans have voted early in-person and by mail.

The National Guard will be on standby in New Jersey, Wisconsin, Texas and the nation's capital.

States that are under close watch for possible violence include Pennsylvania, Georgia, Oregon, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida, as well as Washington DC.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig said his department would be out "en masse" on Tuesday.

New York Police Department Chief Terence A. Monahan said there would be "a lot" of police on the streets. Monahan said that lessons about how to handle large-scale demonstrations had been learned during protests following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May.

Washington DC Metro Police Chief Peter Newsham said that the entire police department would be working on Tuesday. In Chicago, police officers had all time off canceled and they have been told that they could work 12-hour days.