Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is ordering a security upgrade against the threat of terrorism for federal buildings across the country, he announced Tuesday.  

Johnson declined to detail the upgrades that will be put in place by the Federal Protective Service.  

Johnson cited the recent attack in Canada as well as the ongoing global terrorism threat faced by the United States.  

“Given world events, prudence dictates a heightened vigilance in the protection of U.S. government installations and our personnel,” he said in the statement. His full statement is here:

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY JOHNSON ON ENHANCED PRESENCE OF THE FEDERAL PROTECTIVE SERVICE AT U.S. GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS IN THE UNITED STATES

Today I am announcing that I have directed the Federal Protective Service to enhance its presence and security at various U.S. Government buildings in Washington DC 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.

The Federal Protective Service is responsible for the protection of over 9500 federal facilities owned or leased by the General Services Administration, through which 1.4 million visitors and occupants pass daily.

We are taking this action as a precautionary step, to safeguard U.S. government personnel and facilities, and the visitors to those facilities. 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.

As we have stated in prior advisories, we urge state and local governments and their law enforcement personnel, along with critical infrastructure owners and operators, to be equally vigilant, particularly in guarding against potential small-scale attacks by a lone offender or a small group of individuals. Likewise, we continually urge the public at large to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities to appropriate authorities.

Roll Call Election Map: Race Ratings for Every Seat


Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.