Law Enforcement and Police Agencies in New York City, Los Angeles and Other U.S. Cities on Alert after Iran Airstrikes

What to know

Law enforcement agencies across the county—including the NYPD, LAPD and Washington, D.C. police—have increased patrols at religious, diplomatic and public sites following U.S. airstrikes on Iran.
Although no credible threats have been reported, local agencies are taking advantage of federal partnerships to monitor potential retaliation and assess evolving threats.
The NYPD is using a variety of tools—such as the Domain Awareness System, a real-time surveillance and analytics platform developed in partnership with Microsoft—to help with threat analysis and rapid response.

By Myles Miller

Source Bloomberg News

Major U.S. cities are tightening security after President Donald Trump unleashed airstrikes on Iran, a direct military intervention that’s deepened Washington’s role in Israel’s war with Tehran and raised concerns about potential retaliation.

Iran early Sunday warned that the U.S. attack, dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer” by the Pentagon, will trigger “everlasting consequences” and said it “reserves all options” to respond.

Police in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles have since increased patrols at religious institutions, diplomatic facilities and public spaces. Officials cited no credible threats at this time but highlighted the need for vigilance.

In the capital, the Metropolitan Police Department said it’s closely monitoring the events in Iran and is coordinating with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to share information and monitor intelligence.

The New York Police Department said it’s deployed additional officers across the city and is coordinating with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies to monitor for any potential threats.

Additional resources have been allocated to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across the city. The Greater New York area is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, with about 1.4 million people.

Since 2001, the NYPD and its federal partners have disrupted about 30 plots targeting the city, the department said. Officials said those efforts reflect a broad strategy that combines intelligence gathering, overseas partnerships and rapid response capabilities — tools they’re now using to assess any fallout from the U.S. strikes on Iran.

The department’s Intelligence Bureau operates an international liaison program with embedded personnel in 13 countries, including in Israel, where an officer is providing real-time assessments from the region.

The NYPD also maintains a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, where meetings can take place without fear of listening devices. Three DHS intelligence analysts are assigned to the department, facilitating the flow of classified information and supporting joint threat analyses.

Additional capabilities include a foreign linguist program with more than 1,200 registered speakers across 85 languages, and the Domain Awareness System, a real-time surveillance and analytics platform developed in partnership with Microsoft.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass said that officials in the second largest U.S. city are closely monitoring the situation. “Out of an abundance of caution, LAPD is stepping up patrols near places of worship, community gathering spaces and other sensitive sites,” Bass said. “We will remain vigilant.”

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