Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As tensions escalate between Israel and Hamas, there have been postings linked to Hamas calling for large scale protests and other threats. Police and security agencies locally and nationwide are ramping up efforts to protect everyone.
When police and security agencies receive such a threat, Jeff Rinaldo of Vista Security, a former Buffalo Police Captain, says they reach out to affected organizations. "Generally it also involves an increased patrol presence increase police presence in around any events that those organizations are going to have," says Rinaldo. He also says they get in touch with federal and state partners, making sure that people are keeping an eye on social media and other avenues where these threats can occur.
When there is such a threat, Rinaldo says whether there's a heightened alert depends on a number of factors. "It all depends time on the type of alert the nature of it, how past events have played out in terms of threats that have been received, as well as any type of events or religious holidays, they may be occurring during the time that threat is received," notes Rinaldo.
Rinaldo says since the Hamas attacks on Israel, his agency has been in contact with affected agencies. "Working with them to take a look at our staffing, take a look at some events that they have coming up and just making sure that we're all on the same page in terms of expectations and how they want to handle an increased security presence that their location," adds Rinaldo. He says potential new clients are calling for information, while existing clients are in discussions to see what they need.
Buffalo PD
Buffalo Police say they are keeping tabs on any possible threats, but there are no known threats to the region.
