New York Requiring Counties To Develop Domestic Terrorism Prevention Plans


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ALBANY, NY (WNY News Now) – Following the increase in homegrown violence, leaders across New York State are looking for ways to stop these threats before they can cause any harm.

Commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Jackie Bray says over 600 incidents of violent extremism occurred across the state just last year.





The Commissioner, along with Governor Kathy Hochul, believe addressing these issues locally could help lessen the risk of domestic terrorism, like the targeted mass shooting in Buffalo.

“Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, she issued Executive Order 18. It creates the Office of Domestic Terrorism Prevention within DSHES, and it resources all of our counties to create locally driven domestic terrorism prevention plans becuase we can’t be successful without you and we know it,” says Jackie Bray.

The Executive Order also requires New York State Police to establish a dedicated unit within the NYS Intelligence Center (NYSIC) to track domestic extremism and increase social media monitoring at the Intelligence Center. 





















The unit will be responsible for developing investigative leads based on social media analyses focused on radical extremist activities motivated threats by identifying online locations and activities that facilitate radicalization and promote violent extremism.  

Hochul says that social media and the dark web influence perpetrators of domestic terrorism, as seen with the Buffalo shooter, made worse by two years of pandemic confinement. 

“So, we’re also asking the Homeland Security and Emergency Services to help us create Threat Assessment Management teams,” explains Hochul. “And that’ll not just be law enforcement, but mental health professionals, school officials and other key stakeholders to help identify and assess the threat of targeted violence.”

The Governor hopes that these teams, along with stricter gun laws to prohibit those who have shown a propensity towards violence, will help alleviate the threat New Yorkers face. 









 

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