Following the deadly terror attack at a Chanukah event on Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday, law-enforcement agencies across the United States said that there were no known local threats but that they were increasing patrols and visibility around Jewish institutions and events.
In Montgomery County, Md., which has a large Jewish community, Marc Elrich, the Washington-area county executive, said that he heard from local Jews, who are “shaken and concerned.”
“I want them to know that their safety is a priority,” he stated. “Out of an abundance of caution, the Montgomery County Police Department has increased patrols at synagogues and at Chanukah-related events across the county.”
Carmine Marceno, sheriff of Lee County, Fla., stated that “in light of recent events,” the county “increased patrols and visibility in and around Jewish communities and gathering areas as a precaution.” And Santa Monica, Calif., said that its police department, “out of an abundance of caution,” had “increased patrols and officer presence at Jewish places of worship and community celebrations throughout the city to provide visibility and reassurance.”
In San Jose, Calif., the police department stated that “out of an abundance of caution, we will continue to take all appropriate measures to safeguard our residents and protect places of worship.” The Miami Beach Police Department said that as a “precautionary measure,” it had “increased our uniformed presence at synagogues, schools and other key locations citywide to help ensure the continued safety of our residents and visitors.”
The Austin Police Department stated on Sunday that “out of an abundance of caution, and as Chanukah begins this evening,” it will “maintain a visible presence at Jewish houses of worship and at related events taking place throughout our city.”
Some 200 miles away, the Dallas Police Department stated that “with the start of Chanukah this evening, the department will maintain an established presence and heightened awareness at related events and locations across the city.”
It added that it is “proactively assessing and enhancing safety measures and maintaining close communication with our public safety partners.”
‘An enhanced uniform presence’
Drew McKellips, CEO of Adaptive Threat Solutions, a private security company that works with Seattle-area Jewish institutions and visiting dignitaries, told JNS that when police departments announce that they are increasing visibility out of an “abundance of caution,” that means that they “are doing more active patrols.”
“They should be on the streets patrolling,” he said.
McKellips cited police presence at a Dec. 14 synagogue Chanukah party, where he was on-site. Police officers came and stayed “for a while,” he told JNS.
“They usually do this during these times,” McKellips said of responses to the antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach in Australia. “Then they go back to being complacent like normal.”
He added that “the police are just doing more of what they should be doing anyway.” Still, he said, “you need to get out of your car and engage with your community” to recognize faces and be able to identify who is not expected to be there or poses a threat.
Among others to increase security was the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, which stated that “in response to the disturbing act in Australia, we have increased patrols and visibility around local synagogues and Jewish community centers as a precautionary measure.”
In Oregon, the Portland Police Bureau stated that its “officers are increasing patrols in and around Jewish places of worship, community centers and schools.”
“Attendees at various events celebrating the beginning of Chanukah may see increased police patrols,” it added.
New York City Police Department commissioner Jessica Tisch said that “out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD has significantly increased security around Chanukah-related events, menorah-lightings and Jewish houses of worship across all five boroughs.”
Tisch added that the public will see “an enhanced uniform presence, specialized patrols, heavy weapons teams, community affairs officers, counterterrorism resources and bomb-squad deployments where appropriate.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy stated that “although there are no specific threats to New Jersey at this time, out of an abundance of caution, we are boosting security at synagogues and community Chanukah celebrations throughout the state.”
He said that he also directed the state’s attorney general, director of homeland security and preparedness office and superintendent of the state police to meet with “rabbis who are concerned about the safety and security of their houses of worship.”
Myron Demkiw, chief of the Toronto Police Services, stated that the department has “deployed a whole-of-service approach to increase police presence and visibility to Toronto’s Jewish communities, including at schools, places of worship, events today and throughout the holidays.”
