The Massachusetts, National Guard is staging behind the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, access to the State House is restricted after being nearly closed off entirely on Sunday.
The signs that Boston is on alert ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden as the nation's 46th president were increasingly visible on Monday.
"We don't ever want to get caught short, we don't ever want to be in a situation where we're unprepared. We saw what unpreparedness look like on Jan. 6," said Todd McGhee, a retired state trooper who runs his own security firm.
The sixth is when a mob of people, many who'd come from a rally held by President Donald Trump, stormed the U.S. Capitol, leaving five people dead and interrupting the peaceful transition of power after an election with no sign of widespread voter fraud beyond baseless conspiracy theories.
Based on intelligence gained in the wake of the attack, the FBI warned of armed protests at state capitols around the country, which is why barricades have been put up on Beacon Hill and Gov. Charlie Baker activated up to 500 members of the National Guard.
While the FBI has cautioned that there are no specific threats known against the Massachusetts State House, McGhee said the possibility is real and all necessary precautions must be taken.
"To ignore intelligence that was provided by the FBI, that would be negligence," he said.
Many people on Beacon Hill Monday said they were somewhat surprised by the new security measures, but that it's understandable why they were put in place.
Law enforcement is urging people to report anything suspicious.
