Law enforcement in Utah monitoring for potential threats ahead of general election

TAYLORSVILLE — Law enforcement in Utah will be busy Tuesday watching for everything from potential threats to scams on Election Day, and they will be armed with the latest intel from federal investigators as they monitor for problems.

Capt. Tanner Jensen, director of the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Statewide Information and Analysis Center, told KSL TV on Monday preparing for an election is a year-round effort.

“It never stops,” Jensen said. “The threat of physical violence or some type of malicious intent could come from inside the state or it could come from across the globe.”

Jensen said SIAC is one of the nation’s 80 “fusion” centers, where federal, state and local law enforcement share intel and information to solve crimes and help stop threats.

Election threats

While he said “violent rhetoric” has surfaced in places like on social media, he acknowledged recent intelligence reports have focused on potential foreign threats from China, Iran and Russia.

“We know that nation-state actors have payed close attention to our elections in the past and are paying close attention to this one and are doing anything to undermine our democratic process,” Jensen said. “Some of those state actors will use disinformation, misinformation.”

Jensen said law enforcement was also concerned about the potential for polling scams and cautioned people about texts that could prove to be attempts at phishing or fraud.

He said there were no known or specific threats in Utah heading into Election Day, but officers and agents would continue to watch closely, and he urged others if they see something suspicious to say something.

“We’re hoping for the best and we expect tomorrow to be a great demonstration of our democratic process here in the state and across the nation,” Jensen said. “We are closely looking for any concerns, of threats of violence, that are out there.”