NYPD Gears Up For Jewish High Holidays
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - It's getting to be that time - when the Jewish people celebrate the new year on Rosh Hashanah and observe the day of atonement on Yom Kippur. It is known as the High Holidays.
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New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said his department will be extra vigilant, when synagogues and homes can be more vulnerable to burglaries or even terrorist attacks.
"We'll deploy additional resources to precincts with large Jewish communities to ensure that coverage is more than adequate in these areas. That includes increasing the number of foot patrols, supplementing patrols with designated house of worship cars, and expanding community outreach," Kelly told reporters on Wednesday.
"Some synagogues may receive unannounced visits from our Hercules teams. These are specially trained, heavily armed officers whose job it is to deter terrorists and disrupt any reconnaissance that they may be engaged in," Kelly added.
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Kelly said that the NYPD continues to monitor events overseas in order to assess potential terrorist threats to New York City.
He noted that, worldwide, there has been an increase in terrorist attacks aimed at Jewish targets. He cited nine attacks this year.
He added that there are no specific threats against Jews in New York.
Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Sunday, September 16 and Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Tuesday, September 26.
