Homeland Security Orders Increased Security for Government Buildings

Homeland Security has ordered increased security at various U.S. government buildings in Washington, D.C., and other major cities and locations around the country.

"The precise actions we are taking and the precise locations at which we will enhance security is law-enforcement sensitive, will vary and shift from location to location, and will be continually re-evaluated," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said today.

The Federal Protective Service is responsible for the protection of more than 9,500 federal facilities owned or leased by the General Services Administration, through which 1.4 million visitors and occupants pass daily, Johnson noted.

"We are taking this action as a precautionary step, to safeguard U.S. government personnel and facilities, and the visitors to those facilities," Johnson added. "The reasons for this action are self-evident: the continued public calls by terrorist organizations for attacks on the homeland and elsewhere, including against law enforcement and other government officials, and the acts of violence targeted at government personnel and installations in Canada and elsewhere recently."

"Given world events, prudence dictates a heightened vigilance in the protection of U.S. government installations and our personnel," he said.

Johnson also urged state and local governments and operators of "critical infrastructure" to be vigilant, particularly against potential "small-scale attacks by a lone offender or a small group of individuals."