New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday that her state is increasing its staffing to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in response to a “rise in hate crimes and incidents of harassment” since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war. The additional $2.5 million being directed to the New York State Police will allow it to “deploy ten additional investigators in New York City, Albany, Buffalo and Rochester, ensuring the State Police has a presence in all JTTF investigative groups and areas,” Hochul’s office said in a statement. “I immediately deployed the New York State Police on October 7 to protect at-risk communities and we have continued our laser focus on public safety since then,” the statement quoted Hochul as saying. “Surging resources to the Joint Terrorism Task Force is a critical step to ensure New Yorkers are protected from domestic and international threats.” Hochul’s office says the deployment will allow State Police to work as a “force-multiplier for the JTTF, ensuring that all cases with New York State ties are thoroughly examined and investigated. LIVE UPDATES: ISRAEL AT WAR WITH HAMAS “It will also strengthen ties already existing between the JTTF and the New York State Intelligence Center Counter-Terrorism Center, allowing for greater involvement in investigations into Racially Motivated Violent Extremists, Domestic Violent Extremist groups, Anti-Government/Anti-Authority Violent Extremists, as well as into conspiracy theories & disinformation/misinformation,” it added. Statistics from the New York City Police Department’s Hate Crime Task Force show that bias incidents under investigation rose by 124% since October, including a 214% growth in anti-Jewish incidents, according to Hochul’s office. CORNELL STUDENT WHO ALLEGEDLY MADE THREATS TO JEWISH CENTER IDENTIFIED BY AUTHORITIES “Overall, hate crime investigations year to date continued their downward trend with a decrease of 9%,” the office also said. In October, an Ivy League student who allegedly made threats of a mass shooting and antisemitic violence at Cornell University was criminally charged following a JTTF investigation. Cornell University administrators had dispatched campus police to a Jewish center after threatening statements appeared on a discussion board. Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/ny-gov-hochul-bolsters-fbi-joint-terrorism-task-force-staffing-over-rise-hate-crimes-harassment
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Publish date : 2023-11-13 20:03:12
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NY Gov. Hochul bolsters FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force staffing over ‘rise in hate crimes,’ harassment
