Penn Place security measures? It’s about time

On the one hand, the picture of boulders newly placed around Luzerne County’s Penn Place Building in Wilkes-Barre sparks a sense of “what took so long?” On the other, it is a stark and sad reminder of how politicians and pundits have eroded trust in our elections to the point of fearing physical attacks on election workers.

The first response stems from the fact that security at government buildings has been repeatedly ramped up for decades. The county courthouse is a textbook example. Once access was available from all four sides. Then the public was funneled solely through the southern doors. Then even that was closed off as people were directed to an expanded back entrance.

While the rotunda remains one of the most impressive sights in the region, it is no longer the first thing visitors see. Rather they walk through a simple hallway on the way to stairs or the elevator.

Penn Place similarly tightened security, but the unusual design has a parking lot where the first floor typically would be, and that seemed to remain a bit too accessible by modern security standards. The new boulders seem a modest, relatively cost-effective ($1,760 including installation) way to assure motor vehicles can only get in through the gated entry.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo explained that the move was one of several measures recommended by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security following an inspection she requested. “This is a measure taken to safeguard staff, the public and the ballots.”

Which brings us to the sad part. Make no mistake, we are glad that critics have pointed out weak points in our election systems, and officials have taken appropriate steps to further assure integrity. And we know there are many people who have contributed to the decline in trust over the years. But there can be little doubt the biggest single motivator has been former President Donald Trump, who has never officially admitted he lost the 2020 election legitimately, and who has a habit of blowing “dog whistles” — and occasionally openly using language — that encourages violence.

This has nothing to do with his policies, promises or performance while in office. It has to do with the threat of physical action when people aren’t happy about election results. Watching a mob remove barriers and not only ignore but overwhelm police and security officers in the nation’s Capitol nearly four years ago was a dangerous inflection point in our democratic system.

It is one thing to file lawsuits, register complaints, conduct “audits” of polling results and otherwise point to perceived issues one believes may compromise election accuracy. They are all legitimate ways to challenge results and help assure election integrity. But threats to election workers, attempts to damage or destroy ballot drop boxes, and any act of violence is and must always be unacceptable to everyone.

It is a good thing to see Penn Place finally get the added security of physical barriers to the parking area. But the threat that prompted it to happen now — the fear of physical violence to people simply trying to vote, or to tally votes — should concern everyone regardless of political inclinations.