Salem Police On Heighten Halloween Alert Following Israel Attacks

SALEM, MA — There will be increased police patrols, drones, and other bomb and radiation detection technology deployed across Salem throughout the rest of the month in the wake of the Israel attacks and Middle East unrest.

Salem Police Chief Lucas Miller said on Thursday that, while the city does not have a synagogue or a mosque, "the enormous crowds that October draws to Salem are a source of worry that they are, in and of themselves, targets."

"Salem occupies a much greater place in the national history and imagination than our land mass or population would suggest," Miller said, "and this stature is potentially a source of hostility."

Salem police will work with state and federal partners on safety measures that reflect what Miller called "our importance and our vulnerability" through Halloween.

Additional uniform and plainclothes officers will be deployed within the city along with officers in observation posts. Specialized teams from the Massachusetts State Police and the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council will also be utilized.

Miller also advocated residents and visitors follow the "see something, say something" mentality of reporting anything that appears suspicious around homes, businesses or neighborhoods.

Those who do see anything "that doesn't look right" are asked to contact Salem police at 978-744-1212 or 9-1-1 in an emergency.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)