Police Braced For The Worst, But Inauguration Day Was Peaceful In Boston

BOSTON (CBS) - Police were braced for inauguration day unrest, but it was a peaceful day.

"I'm feeling pretty happy," said a lone demonstrator with a Biden-Harris sign who stood in front of the State House to celebrate. "I have all the faith in the Massachusetts Police and the National Guard if they're here to keep things safe, and more importantly, I have faith in the people of Massachusetts," he said.

Police with K-9s, batons and yellow jackets joined Park Rangers around the Boston Common and the State House as the transfer of power happened hundreds of miles away in Washington D.C.

"I was really concerned about what was going to happen," said Jack Winn, who lives in Beacon Hill. He said he has a new appreciation for police. "I said, 'Thank you for what you're doing.'" He and others in the neighborhood have gotten used to beefed-up security over the last week.

"I'm happy that the helicopters won't be flying over anymore," said Keeta Gilmore.

"I think we can take a step back a little bit in the coming days from having 25,000 troops in the Capitol and state police and local police in government buildings," said former Boston Police Commissioner and WBZ-TV Security Analyst Ed Davis. He said law enforcement is still left to deal with the underlying tension. "We're going into a new phase where law enforcement agencies have changed their tactics with regard to domestic extremists."