Putnam Sheriff: Guarding Against Potential Terrorism during Easter and Passover

Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reports that the Sheriff’s Office will be coordinating with other law enforcement agencies throughout Putnam and Westchester counties to guard against any potential acts of terrorism during the upcoming Jewish Passover and Christian Easter celebrations.

The heightened state of vigilance will include increased visible patrols around places of worship and religious gatherings. Increased security checks are also planned for train stations, commuter parking lots, bus stops, shopping malls, and public parks where holiday events are being held during the holy days, which begin on Friday, April 3rd, and end on Saturday evening, April 11th.

Sheriff Smith stressed that the stepped-up actions by law enforcers around the upcoming religious observances are just precautionary, and are not in response to any specific reported threats of terrorism.

The actions are part of “Operation Safeguard”, a regularly planned part of a counter-terrorism strategy of police agencies within Counter Terrorism Zone 3, which encompasses Putnam and Westchester Counties.

Counter-Terrorism Zone 3, or “CTZ3”, is one of 16 such designated zones within New York State.

Those zones were established in 2001, when New York State created the Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services (DHSES) following the September 11th terrorist attack. The CTZs are organized under the Office of Counter Terrorism, a sub-unit of the DHSES, to coordinate cooperative efforts of federal, state, and local agencies in deterring terrorism.

Since 2004, one of the goals of Operation Safeguard has been to remind the public about the ongoing threat of terrorism and to promote citizens’ situational awareness, to help them recognize potential indicators of terrorist threats.

“To fight terrorism, all of us need to be vigilant about what is going on around us,” said the Sheriff, “and citizens should report suspicious activities to law enforcement.” The Sheriff said that the important message to citizens remains the same: If you see something, say something. The CTZ also offers the following guidance to citizens if they observe suspicious activity:

• DO NOT CONFRONT THE INDIVIDUAL(S)
• DO NOT REVEAL YOUR SUSPICIONS TO THE INDIVIDUAL(S)
• DO RECORD AS MANY DETAILS AS POSSIBLE
• DO NOTIFY THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE OR YOUR LOCAL POLICE AGENCY BY CALLING 911 OR CALL THE “SAFE NYS TIPLINE” AT 1-866-SAFE-NYS (1-866-723-3697).

—Putnam County Sheriff’s Office