Between an extremely contentious presidential election, last-minute visits from high-profile political personalities, and Michigan’s first-ever nine-day early voting window, local law enforcement professionals have had their hands full lately. With just three days to go to Election Day, The Ticker checks in with Matt Richmond, Traverse City Police Department (TCPD) chief; and Mike Shea, Grand Traverse County sheriff, to find out how their respective departments are navigating possibilities of voter intimidation, poll worker harassment, ballot box tampering, and more.

When it comes to election security, Richmond and Shea have both been around the block a few times. The former has been with TCPD since 2004, while the latter joined the sheriff’s office in 2005. Neither, however, were in charge of their departments until last year, which makes November 2024 their first major election at the helm of local law enforcement.

It’s a heck of a way to start.

“I think, nationally, things are heightened more now than I've ever seen as a voter in the past,” Shea says. “And I think because of that, TCPD, us, the Michigan State Police (MSP), we’ve all put in place some extra precautions.”

Those agencies aren’t the only ones that are on high alert this election season. Last week, Politico detailed the steps local police forces across the country are taking to counter “violent threats against election workers, turmoil at voting sites, and intimidation of voters.”

Those fears are more intense in some places than others. Take Maricopa County, the Arizona area that became ground zero for election denialism after President Joe Biden won the county – and the state – in 2020. Per Politico, Maricopa authorities “will operate four emergency operations centers around the county, and the sheriff’s office has already consulted with the county’s top prosecutor on the threshold for bringing criminal charges against people who disrupt voting.”

But tensions are high everywhere – especially after this week, when bad actors set fire to ballot boxes in Arizona, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington. According to Richmond, those sorts of incidents – even when they occur far from northern Michigan – absolutely factor in to local response plans.

“Anything that is election-related that happens in other places, we take note of that,” Richmond tells The Ticker, before assuring that TCPD and the county sheriff’s office “do have security measures” in place for local ballot drop boxes.

The biggest security measure? Simply having more officers out in the field.

“We have definitely stepped up patrol,” Shea says. “We filled a lot of overtime spots, to make sure vehicles and deputies are available if there are any issues. Those officers will be making rotations to the different precincts all day. We also have our community police officers, who have adjusted schedules to be on duty during the time that polls are open and after, until the ballots are counted. And I’ve also made contact with the MSP post commander, who will be assisting with additional coverage – not only at the polling precincts, but also where the absentee ballots are being counted. So, hopefully, we are as well prepared as we can be for any issues that might pop off.”

It's not just Election Day that gets all the attention. Richmond says local law enforcement agencies – as well as area fire departments, medical response teams, and 911 central dispatch – have been putting in overtime hours for weeks. Visits from politicians – including former president Donald Trump last Friday, First Lady Jill Biden and Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz on Monday, and Democratic Vice President candidate Tim Walz yesterday – require local agencies to mount huge responses on tight timelines.

“Just because we're in law enforcement doesn't necessarily mean that we get advance notice [of these visits], any more than the public does,” Richmond says. “Last week, Trump was in town on Friday, and we got word that day that Jill Biden would be in town on Monday. We had three days to plan. Fortunately, being where we are, as the hub of northern Michigan, we’ve had these visits before, so we’ve already run through the scenarios and we already have some plans in place from past visits. So, it’s a big ask, but we get it done – usually by working right up until the last minute.”

Early in-person voting, instituted in Michigan for the first time with this election, has also meant some extra work. Early voting kicked off last Saturday and runs through tomorrow.

To prepare for a longer voting window, Shea says his department has had more communication this year with city, county, and township clerks. He’s confident from those talks that all local election leaders “are very well-rehearsed” when it comes to diffusing tense situations that might arise at polling places. Once example: Voters coming to the polls wearing campaign or candidate-specific merchandise – something that many people don’t realize is against the law in Michigan.

“They know how to handle the majority of situations that might arise,” Shea says of local election clerks and their polling precinct teams. “But they also know they can call us if they need to.”

Also new this year: A big push to acquaint police officers with the ins and outs of election law.

“Our office was sent handbooks that we were able to provide to our officers,” Shea says. “So now, they have a toolbox in their car that they can reference if they run into an election-related issue.”

“Those resources are very helpful, because we don’t deal with election laws every single day,” Richmond adds. “This stuff isn’t routine for our officers, so having a pamphlet they can reference is valuable.”

While the ramp-up in vigilance is meant to ensure greater election safety and security in Traverse City and Grand Traverse County, Richmond and Shea both recognize that not everyone has the same level of comfort or trust when it comes to the police.

“We want our presence known, but we are not there to hinder or intimidate. We won’t just be hanging out at these polling booths,” Shea says. “We're there, if needed. If not, we’re in the shadows.”