Boulders placed at Luzerne County’s Penn Place Building for election security

Boulders are being placed around Luzerne County’s Penn Place Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre to “fortify security” for the upcoming Nov. 5 general election and future elections, county Manager Romilda Crocamo announced Tuesday morning.

The county’s election bureau is housed on the second floor of the building at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Market Street.

The boulders are intended to block unauthorized vehicles from entering the street-level parking lot and ground-level lobby area.

Crocamo said the boulders were among the measures recommended by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security following an inspection she requested to identify potential risks and concerns.

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

Other measures are in the works that may or may not be publicly visible and disclosed, she said.

Crocamo said the $1,760 expenditure, which includes both the boulders and installation by Black Creek Excavation, likely will be funded with a portion of the county’s state Election Integrity Grant.

The Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency conducted the “security assessment at first entry” on Aug. 28. This inspection evaluated the current security structure and identified options to “mitigate against relevant threats,” Crocamo said.

Although Penn Place had some obstructions to block high-speed vehicles from getting into the site, the agency concluded safety would improve with the placement of barriers to “prevent vehicle ramming” and improve “stand-distance,” Crocamo said.

Crocamo had identified some of the other enhanced security measures last week:

• Real-time monitoring of video surveillance cameras in areas where ballots are stored and locked.

• Panic button software and radios provided to poll workers from county emergency services to “ensure swift communication in case of emergencies.”

• Color-coded vests and/or lanyards supplied to approved Election Day observers at Penn Place to promote transparency and safety.

In addition, the service window in the election bureau is being reconfigured for staff safety, officials said.

Various county departments and law enforcement agencies will be meeting to enhance communications, solidify contingency plans and coordinate protections on Election Day and the weeks preceding it, she said.