“This is not the kind of thing that is a wakeup call to NY City”, John Miller, the department’s deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, says of the Paris attacks during a news conference Saturday afternoon.
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Speaking to ABC’s 20/20 on Friday night, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the “if you see something, say something” approach is important.
The Port Authority of NY and New Jersey said police were on heightened alert at all of the bridges, tunnels and railway facilities of the bureau, in addition to at the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. The DHSES Watch Center, as a precaution, has increased monitoring of various large public gatherings, including various sporting venues throughout the State.
Heavily armed NY city police officers with the Strategic Response Group stand guard at the armed forces recruiting center in New York’s Times Square, Saturday, November 14, 2015.
Times Square, French consulates and sports stadiums got increased security Saturday after the Paris terror attacks.
NY authorities will be placing plainclothes officers at Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal, and other major stations that serve the Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road network. Police canine teams and units with heavy weapons will provide extra protection as well as a noticeable sign of increased security.
For French citizens living in NY, news of Friday’s attacks sparked feelings of fear and then deeper worry for the future of the country.
The NYPD did not say how many extra officers were sent to guard the areas of concern nor did it specify the areas where the extra officers were sent.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement that “we know of no specific or credible threats of an attack on the USA homeland of the type that appeared in Paris tonight”. “We believe this…is isolated to Paris”.
Los Angeles police say there are no known threats against the city, but the department beefs up patrols at what it called critical sites, including a Snoop Dogg concert.
The law enforcement and transportation agencies too have said they have are on high alert too. “The safety of New Yorkers and our state’s visitors is our number one priority, and we are remaining vigilant and in close contact with local and federal officials and our partner law enforcement agencies”.
Government Tom Wolf, said he wasn’t aware of any threats in Pennsylvania, but Philadelphia had increased security around the city due to the Paris attacks. In Boston, the MA State Police said “a comprehensive and multi-layered security package” was in place at Logan worldwide Airport and patrols enhanced near the State House.
“We were pretty shocked and terrified”, Ms. Walckenaer said “It’s our neighborhood”.
A fashion show at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., took place as scheduled, but with a moment of silence to honor the Paris victims.
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The gathering was comforting for Louise Walckenaer and Eddie Bouakkaz, 20-year-old Parisians studying design in NY this semester.
