WASHINGTON — Following the Paris attacks, umbrella groups representing D.C. hotels, restaurants, retail shops and other potential terrorist targets are being advised on ways to raise their security postures.
D.C. Police, along with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, are providing security briefings to the Restaurant Association, the Business Improvement Districts and groups overseeing the hospitality industry.
“We are in the process of doing that now. We always do it following an incident,” said Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier.
D.C. nightclubs and bars are getting special attention.
“We actually have a team of officers that are nightlife security, that’s what they do,” Lanier continued. “They are also being briefed and briefing in the nightlife areas.”
Police are mindful that a restaurant and theater in Paris were attacked, and Lanier said there is no narrow focus when boosting security against the terror threat.
“We have increased our levels of security, but it goes far beyond only considering the last attack,” Lanier said. “We have to think a little broader than that. When we increase security, we got to increase security — plain and simple.”
She said police visibility has been stepped up across the city. Police received a spike in the number of calls about suspicious activity following the Paris attacks.
“We do see an increase in the number of calls for suspicious packages, particularly over the weekend,” Lanier said.
She and Mayor Muriel Bowser met for about 30 minutes Tuesday in their regular weekly meeting at the Wilson Building.
Four days following the terrorist strike in Paris, Lanier says she told the mayor that every available asset is in place to protect the city.
