Police increase patrols at US places of worship amid attack on Israel and start of Jewish high holidays

Police departments across the US are increasing patrols in Jewish communities and at places of worship amid Iran’s latest attack on Israel and the start of the Jewish high holidays Wednesday.

Police departments across the US are increasing patrols in Jewish communities and at places of worship amid Iran’s latest attack on Israel and the start of the Jewish high holidays Wednesday. Officials told CNN the increased police presence at key locations is out of an abundance of caution as a deterrent and not based on any specific threats. Despite the lack of any known credible threats, law enforcement officials have described the potential for violence from so-called “lone wolf” attackers as among their most serious concerns during what they have described as a heightened threat environment. The NYPD assumed an increased patrol posture on Monday, a law enforcement source told CNN, which is expected to be maintained throughout the next two weeks. NYPD will also partner with state police for explosive detection missions at bridges and tunnels, and helicopter units will be used for radiation detection, the source said. Los Angeles police department leaders recently participated in a security town hall with Jewish community leaders in Southern California to discuss the ramping up of patrols during the religious holidays. The LAPD has routinely increased its presence at both Jewish and Muslim houses of worship based on turmoil in the Middle East. At the town hall last week, the LAPD said its patrols would include an increased number of officers on the beat, command post vehicles, and horse mounted units. The meeting was intended to reassure members of the Jewish community, many of whom have expressed concerns about security after an anti-Semitic attack in the city last year where two men were shot leaving a Jewish synagogue by a man who was sentenced Monday to 35 years in federal prison.