What to Know
- NYC will install 100 new security cameras in Jewish neighborhoods of Brooklyn in order to prevent anti-Semitic attacks, the mayor said
- The new cameras will be installed in Williamsburg, Crown Heights and Borough Park, where Jewish residents have reported attacks
- Police officials say anti-Semitic crimes in New York City jumped 21% in 2019 compared with 2018
New York City will install 100 new security cameras in ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in an effort to prevent anti-Semitic attacks, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday.
Fear has gripped the city's Orthodox Jewish community since the the fatal Dec. 10 attack at a kosher grocery store across the Hudson River in Jersey City and the Dec. 29 stabbings at a Hanukkah celebration in suburban Monsey.
The new cameras will be installed in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Crown Heights and Borough Park, where Hasidic Jewish residents have reported attacks ranging from someone pulling off a wig or hat to more violent assaults.
"An attack on the Jewish community is an attack on all New Yorkers," de Blasio, a Democrat, said in a statement. "These new security cameras will increase the NYPD's visibility into these neighborhoods, and help our officers on the ground keep New Yorkers safe."
The first 30 cameras are set to be installed by March, the city said, and the NYPD will work with community leaders to determine where best to place the remaining 70 units.
Police officials say anti-Semitic crimes in New York City jumped 21% in 2019 compared with 2018.
News
The announcement about the new security cameras comes a week after city officials announced they would implement "hate crime awareness programming" at middle and high schools in the same three Brooklyn neighborhoods that are getting the cameras.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said the cameras "will support our increased patrols and the targeted deployment of counterterrorism officers at key locations to ensure that everyone is safe."
Councilmember Chaim Deutsch, Chairman of the NYC Council’s Jewish Caucus, called cameras one of the most effective tools to combat hate crimes — part of the reason he supported "allocating more than $2 million for cameras in our districts around houses of worship, parks, playgrounds, and schools."
