New York, Oct 15 (IANS): The New York Police Department (NYPD) is gearing up for potential protests in the state and the city ahead of the November 3 presidential election, the force announced in a memo.

In the memo from Commissioner Dermot Shea issued on Wednesday, the NYPD said that it will require most personnel to report for duty in uniform and "be prepared for deployment" starting October 25 in order to regulate the expected protests, reports Xinhua news agency.

"This November 3rd will be the one of the most highly contested presidential elections in the modern era.

"There is also a strong likelihood that the winner of the presidential election may not be decided for several weeks.

"Accordingly, we should anticipate and prepare for protests growing in size, frequency, and intensity leading up to the election and likely into the year 2021," the memo added.

Demonstrators have recently taken over city streets and also across the state of New York to protest against police brutality since the killing of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.

A preliminary report by New York Attorney General Letitia James on the handling of protests over the summer said 2,000 arrests were made, reports CNN.

The July report also included a review of social media video that showed an NYPD vehicle accelerating through a crowd of protesters.