Nassau Police Increasing Patrols Ahead Of Jan. 20 Inauguration

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden on Jan. 20 and the threats of violence around the country that have come with it, Nassau County will be increasing police patrols of sites around the area, although there are no specific threats to the county.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder announced the stepped-up patrols on Tuesday. Police will be increasing their presence at government buildings, houses of worship, hospitals, schools, transportation centers and fire departments, and is also working with in-house security at those sites to make sure they are prepared for possible violence.

"Our No. 1 concern is your safety," said Curran. "That will always be our No. 1 concern, no matter what else is swirling around in the rest of the country."

According to Ryder, there are no specific threats against Nassau County as of now. He said that anti-government agitators have been posting to social media, telling people to attack state houses and government buildings. His concern is that "lone wolves" will act on those prompts.

"This is no different than the game plan that terrorists use when they try to stoke those lone wolves and bring them to act out. We're on top of that information," said Ryder. "Intelligence is only good if you act upon it. We at Nassau County are acting upon it."

Ryder said that the police department identified hundreds of possible targets: 130 government buildings, 11 hospitals, 486 houses of worship, 59 transportation centers, 71 fire departments and 56 school districts, which each have multiple school buildings. According to Ryder, the NCPD is reaching out to security at the local hospitals to find out what their security plans are and what the police can do to assist them. He also said that the Department of Homeland Security has already been in contact with the county's school districts.

In the days leading up to Jan. 20, Ryder also encouraged residents to be vigilant.

"It's our job to protect you," he said. "We're the experts, we'll do our job. But we could always use the help. If you have something, please let us know."