Luzerne County installs boulders around Penn Place building as election security move

• By Roger DuPuis/WVIA News

Luzerne County officials are placing boulders around the Penn Place building in downtown Wilkes-Barre, home to the county’s election bureau, as a safety precaution ahead of next month’s general election.

The work was underway on Tuesday.

Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo said the installation is in keeping with recommendations made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo said, and will remain in place after the election.

“This is a measure taken to safeguard staff, the public and the ballots,” Crocamo said.

The election bureau is located on the second floor, and Penn Place has a large, open parking lot under the building’s support columns at street level, with a public entrance and lobby around the corner on East Market Street. Penn Place also is home to court and administrative offices.

On Aug. 28, county officials participated in a program called Security Assessment At First Entry, or SAFE, conducted by the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, designed to identify and mitigate possible threats.

---

READ: Pennsylvania county manager sued over plans to end use of drop boxes for mail-in ballots

---

One suggestion was to consider barriers as a protection against vehicles ramming into the building.

“Following the inspection, I requested they identify potential risks and concerns. One of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recommendations was boulders, which we adopted,” Crocamo said.

The work costs about $1,700, she added, and may be partially funded through a $1 million state election integrity grant received by the county.

Other safety measures

The boulders are just one of several safety upgrades, Crocamo added, though some may not be revealed to the public for security reasons, she said.

There will be video surveillance of areas connected with ballot storage and the transport of judge of election bags to and from precincts, Crocamo said, inspired by efforts being used in Chester County. The surveillance is intended to assure the integrity of ballots and other elections materials.

Poll workers will be provided with panic buttons and radios for poll workers, which will enable direct contact with Luzerne County Emergency Management Services in case of an emergency.

To identify approved election observers, the county also will provide color-coded vests or lanyards for use in the building on Nov. 5.

“We’re going to differentiate who are employees and who are visitors to Penn Place on Election Day,” Crocamo said.

“They’re really good fixes, and they’re not extraordinarily expensive,” she added.

Tense climate

The boulder installation also comes at a time when Crocamo has raised concerns about tensions ahead of the Nov. 5 vote.

Last month, Crocamo announced that she was removing ballot drop boxes for the November election, saying she had concerns about whether they could be properly secured.

“It’s not an indictment against drop boxes, we’ve used them in the past. It’s just that right now, in Luzerne County, the political climate is really at the boiling point,” Crocamo said then. “I can’t guarantee the safety of the individuals who have to work with the drop boxes. That was the basis of my decision.”

She reiterated those concerns Tuesday.

“The vitriol in in American politics today, it’s here. It’s in Luzerne County, unfortunately, and it disheartens me,” Crocamo said.

“And I’m not sure what the fix is, but I know that I have an obligation and a charge to make these elections — this election especially — fair, free and safe, and that’s what I’m going to do,” she said.