By Lookout Staff

November 6, 200 -- Santa Monica police will remain on "maximum deployment" over the weekend as the ballot count for the presidential race dragged into its third day Friday.

So far that has been no specific information of any "direct threats" to Santa Monica, Interim Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said in her latest video address to the community.

"Because we know that apprehension is high and uncertainty remains, we will continue to monitor various sources for actual intelligence
associated with Santa Monica," said Seabrooks.

The Chief -- who returned last month to the post she held until 2017 -- said police will "continue to have a strong and visible presence on the streets and in the air.

“This presence includes both high visibility patrols in our commercial and business centers and in our residential neighborhoods," Seabrooks said. "You’ll also see our helicopter overhead.”

The helicopter, Seabrooks said, could be "a bit disconcerting," but it is an " invaluable resource" that provide police with "additional situational awareness and enables us to quickly deploy and manage field resources."

Tuesday's vote in Santa Monica "went well without incident," the Chief said.

The Police Department boosted its presence last Friday in anticipation of possible civil unrest surrounding Tuesday's presidential election ("Santa Monica Police Brace for Possible Election Unrest," October 26, 2020).

The increased patrols are part of an "activation plan" prepared in coordination with the City's Office of Emergency Management and regional law enforcement agencies last month.

On Monday, Santa Monica businesses began hunkering down by boarding up their businesses ("Santa Monica Hunkers Down," November 3, 2020).

The heightened tension comes five months after riots broke out in the beach city on May 31, damaging a total of 220 businesses, with 76 of them looted, most of them in the Downtown ("Santa Monica Demonstration Turns Violent, Looters Ransack Stores," June 1, 2020).

Police thwarted a potential looting spree on September 2 after a tip from a community member who saw a one-line "story" on Instagram ("Santa Monica Police Thwarted Looters Tuesday Night, Captain Says ," September 4, 2020).

Anyone with information that could be useful to police should email police.intelligence@smgov.net. The Department is "actively monitoring and carefully vetting all information we receive," officials said.