NEW YORK — The FBI’s New York Division says it is prioritizing election security ahead of Election Day. State and local law enforcement agencies also say they are ready.
CBS News New York’s Lisa Rozner spoke with Mayor Eric Adams about how New York City is preparing.
Attacking employees and violating civil rights will not be tolerated
Polling places in the city, such as the Fashion Institute of Technology and CUNY John Jay, were quiet Monday, but on Tuesday the mayor said he expects to see increased law enforcement.
“We have two agents at each polling station. The intelligence division led by Deputy Commissioner Weiner is monitoring all these different chats and channels to know how can we deploy staff if we need to?” Adams said.
The FBI says its National Command Center in Washington, D.C., has about 80 people assessing threats 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These threats include targeting election workers, voter fraud, and civil rights violations.
FBI New York will have its own command post that will mimic the FBI.
“We have election crime coordinators or ECCS in each of the command posts in the field offices. They are the channel. They are the point of contact with state and local officials,” said James Barnacle, deputy assistant in the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. director.
The role of New York’s Department of Homeland Security
CBS News New York’s Marcia Kramer recently spoke with Jackie Bray, the head of the New York State Department of Homeland Security.
“We saw a video that was Russian, produced and distributed and was totally fake, of alleged Trump ballots being destroyed in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Within three hours the local district council came out and said this was not true,” Bray said. “The way we protect New York from that is by remaining skeptical. We check our information, take a look and don’t share anything until you know if it’s real or not.
“What I want New Yorkers to do is evaluate the claims. We’re smart people, right? And we know who we are as New Yorkers. Evaluate the claims you hear. Check the sources. Ask yourself: What is the Can I trust that source of information and, you know, make your own decision,” Bray added.
The NYPD is also on the case
The NYPD says there are no credible threats to New York City or specific voting locations at this time.
“Some are already calling for violence and making accusations of election fraud. Have you spoken to your teams about the aftermath of the election?” CBS News New York’s Lisa Rozner asked the mayor.
“You hear these problems all the time, you know? We all heard about what could happen during the Israeli Day Parade, what could happen on October 7,” Adams said. “We are professional enough, all of our agencies, to ensure that we respond to the challenge when the challenge arises, and that of the ubiquity of NYPD officers in uniform is a really big deterrent. We’re not going to allow people to come in and disrupt our process.”
The mayor echoed Bray’s sentiments, saying, “The best way to protect our democracy is to participate in our democracy.”
The state says cybersecurity professionals are also monitoring the internet for foreign interference.
