Solar eclipse: New York pumps up police force for big crowds, warns criminals will ‘get caught’ [Video]

As eclipse chasers prepare their trip to the path of totality, law enforcement and local governments in western New York are working behind the scenes to maintain order amid the astrological craze.

At least a half million revelers – perhaps even a million – are expected in the area, primarily in Niagara Falls and Erie County, on Monday for the event, based on hotel reservations and data from previous eclipses elsewhere, according to New York State Police spokesperson Trooper James O’Callahan.

But data collected on the day of the event, like information collected from tolls, could show an even larger turnout. State police, along with local police, park police and the Department of Transportation, have been planning for the influx of visitors for more than a year.

About 150 additional state troopers will be brought in from neighboring areas for traffic and crowd control, O’Callahan said. Drones and boats will be deployed “to …