The New York Police Department (NYPD) has ordered all its officers to report for duty in uniform starting this Friday. The directive comes in response to a call for global demonstrations in support of Palestinians by Khaled Meshaal, the former leader of Hamas.
The NYPD issued a memo on Wednesday night obtained by the New York Post instructing all uniformed members of the service, regardless of rank, to “perform duty in the uniform of the day and be prepared for deployment.” The memo also stated that no excuses or shift changes would be granted and that the order would remain in effect “until further notice.”
“We’re trying to make sure that violence doesn’t manifest on the streets of New York City,” said Dep. Cmsr. Rebecca Weiner with the NYPD Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division.
“There’s the part that you see, which involves a lot of officers, some of our counterterrorism officers, our Critical Response Command folks who are high visibility patrols, heavy weapons armed and trained responding to locations throughout the city, schools, houses of worship, sensitive locations,” Weiner said.
“And then there’s the intelligence side, which is the part that you don’t see-the online monitoring for threats and making sure that we can anticipate whether there’s any reflection back to the city based on the overseas events,” she added.
In addition to the call for all officers to report in uniform, the NYPD is also ramping up security measures at all of its 77 police precincts. Additional officers are being assigned to monitor entryways and parking areas at these precincts. The department has also activated its Joint Operations Center (JOC) at its Manhattan headquarters in anticipation of possible unrest.
The NYPD is not acting alone. Multiple agencies, including the Sanitation Department, the Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority, and the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), have been instructed to alert the JOC “as soon as they become aware of any incidents related to this event” from Thursday through Sunday.
According to the NYPD Counterterrorism that while there are no direct “credible threats” against the Jewish community in the U.S., the community should remain alert.
“There are no specific, credible threats to New York City. We are aware of the concern that postings circulating online have caused, and we have increased our uniform deployments at large gatherings and cultural sites to ensure public safety out of an abundance of caution.”
“There are no specific, credible threats to New York City. We are aware of the concern that postings circulating online have caused, and we have increased our uniform deployments at large gatherings and cultural sites to ensure public safety out of an abundance of caution.” pic.twitter.com/6mZ4sf7v6P
— NYPDCounterterrorism (@NYPDCT) October 12, 2023
A Jewish preschool in Queens, New York, has decided to close on Friday as a precaution, Forward reported.
Jewish Security Alliance of NY/NJ, a network of organizations that collaborate to protect Jewish institutions, has advised that “given the heightened tensions,” Jewish groups should take extra precautions. These include allowing people to enter and exit from only one door and screening all mail and packages.
BREAKING: NYC Jewish preschool closes and others heighten security on Friday after former Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal called for a global day of jihad.
The NYPD is planning a show of force around the city on Friday. ALL uniformed members of the service are to perform duty in… pic.twitter.com/on0u3iu2FR
— I Meme Therefore I Am (@ImMeme0) October 12, 2023
Mayor Eric Adams joined Gov. Kathy Hochul for a security briefing.
Join me and @GovKathyHochul for a security briefing. https://t.co/n2YPRNbGHR
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) October 12, 2023
The directive was issued after Khaled Meshaal, who led Hamas from 2004 to 2017, called on the Islamic world to stage protests this Friday, as first reported by The Gateway Pundit.
During a recent address posted on YouTube, Mashal emphasized the need for Muslims to sacrifice and carry Jihad, including the willingness to offer their blood and souls to advance the Palestinian cause.
