Updated

Police step up patrols after Kansas Jewish center killings

Officials: 'No known threat to any religious institution in Nassau County'

Posted

Long Beach and Nassau County police are stepping up patrols for the High Holy Days at local religious institutions in the aftermath of three killings at two Jewish community centers near Kansas City last Sunday.

On April 13, on the eve of Passover, a man opened fire in Overland Park, Kan., killing three people before he was taken into custody. According to The New York Times, a doctor and his 14-year-old grandson were killed in the parking lot at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and a woman was killed a short time later in a parking lot at Village Shalom, a senior living community about a mile away. Prosecutors said Monday that they would file hate-crime charges against a white supremacist, according to the Times.

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter announced Monday that the Nassau County Police Department have increased “the already established intensified patrols at religious places of worship for the Passover and Easter holidays.”

“There is no known threat to any religious institution in Nassau County at this time,” Mangano and Krumpter said in a joint statement.

Additionally, Long Beach Police Commissioner Michael Tangney said that the Long Beach Police Department has also increased patrols in the city, but emphasized that no threats have been made to any synagogues, churches or religious schools in Long Beach. Tangney said that 20* religious buildings in the city have been identified for additional patrols.

“We have stepped up patrols not only for the temples, but because the two holidays are so close, Easter and Passover as well,” Tangney said. “We will be doing increased checks of the synagogues as well as the churches.”

Neil Vogel, president of the congregation at Temple Emanu-El in Long Beach, said that Passover services at the temple will go on as scheduled. 

“We’re always concerned about what goes on nationally, but it will not deter us from our family services at the temple, and we’ve always had great cooperation from the Long Beach Police Department and the Long Beach Auxiliary Police — they’ve always been supportive of our temple and had a presence,” Vogel said. “Certainly, our hearts go out to the victims in Kansas and all the other unfortunate tragedies taking place far too frequently.”

*An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that 14 religious institutions in Long Beach have been identified for additional patrols. It is 20 religious facilities.