Nassau and Suffolk police are increasing security in the wake of the violence at the nation's capital in the days leading to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
Police say they are monitoring chatter online and checking government buildings along with bomb-sniffing dogs as a precaution.
They are on high alert after two days of security briefings from the Secret Service, FBI and the Department of Homeland Security stressing concern about the potential for violence at multiple protests planned not only in Washington, D.C., but at state capitol buildings across the country.
"We are preparing for that, we don't have specific threats, but we are prepared," says New York state Police Major Christopher West.
Counter terrorism expert Denis Monette says the lockdown in Washington for the inauguration could cause some extremist groups to stay local.
"Security is layers, and the more layers you have the more chances it gives you to respond if something happens," he says. "The intel is the number one tool to fight terrorism, whether it be domestic and international, it's all about the intel."
While Nassau and Suffolk county police are increasing their patrols, they say there are no credible threats.
News 12 spoke with a few Long Islanders who were invited or planning to go to the inauguration but have altered their plans because of safety and COVID-19 concerns.
"It will be a first with my children to watch an inauguration and be really proud that we turned a much-needed page in our country," says Leighann Barde, of Central Islip.