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Police in DC region increase patrols after US military strikes in Iran

Law enforcement agencies around the D.C. region are stepping up patrols in their jurisdictions, though they say there’s no current known or credible threat following the U.S. airstrikes against Iran.

Montgomery County police posted Saturday on X that it had “increased patrols and officer visibility around religious institutions of all denominations as well as other sensitive locations.”

Metro Transit Police also said riders would see an increased police presence.

And in Loudoun County, Sheriff Mike Chapman said any time there’s a potential threat, “We make sure we up our patrols in those particular areas so that we have a lot of presence, and that’s no different here.”

The agencies are also in contact with one another.

At a meeting Monday with police chiefs from around the region, Montgomery County Assistant Chief Darren Francke said, “We talked about our posture and what we’re doing.”

Francke and Chapman, in interviews with WTOP, encouraged people to report activity that seems suspicious.

It’s better to report something and let police investigate it, Francke said, “because you don’t know when it’s going to be the one individual, the lone-wolf type of actor that we need to take action about.”

Chapman said the advice extends to emails or social media posts.

“We take all kinds of calls from anybody that has a concern, and we evaluate it,” Chapman said.

Metro police are urging riders to report suspicious activity by calling (202) 962-2121 or texting MyMTPD (696873).

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