Security Remains Ramped Up in Wake of Orlando Shooting: San Diego Police Chief

San Diego, CA — Although there are no known threats in San Diego, security across the city and especially in places where people congregate will be heightened in response to a weekend attack that killed 50 people, including the gunman, and wounded 53 others at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said in a statement that local, state and federal law enforcement agencies were working together to "ensure we remain safe as a region."

Officers have increased security  as a precaution and are focusing on locations where crowds gather. Zimmerman said the ramped up security measures would remain in effect until "further information is known."

"We want all San Diegans and their guests to feel safe," Zimmerman said. "This is yet another reminder for us all to remain vigilant and to stand together in protecting our community."

She asked residents to report anything suspicious.

"We ask if you see, hear, or know something, to please say something," Zimmerman said. "Working together as a community, we will protect our safety and our freedom."

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Business owners in Hillcrest, the hub of San Diego's gay community, called for increased security and police patrols following the shooting at Pulse nightclub early Sunday by a man who reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS while making a 911 call. Alleged shooter Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, 29, was killed by police.

"For decades, nightclubs are a place where LGBT people have come and they feel safe and they can be who they are, and so this attack at a nightclub strikes at the heart of that," said Benjamin Nicholls, executive director of the Hillcrest Business Association. "So we want to make sure that our nightclubs are still safe."

City News Service 

(Photo by Alexander Nguyen/Patch)