Federal buildings across the U.S. to have tighter security 'given world events'

Federal buildings across the U.S. to have tighter security &#039;given world events&#039;

(Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

The Department of Homeland Security is increasing security at federal buildings across the United States, it was announced Tuesday.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement the "reasons for this action are self-evident," and include "continued public calls by terrorist organizations for attacks on the homeland and elsewhere. ... Given world events, prudence dictates a heightened vigilance in the protection of U.S. government installations and our personnel." The move comes a week after the shooting at the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa, which killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.

The Federal Protective Service guards more than 9,500 federal facilities that have 1.4 million visitors and occupants every day, The Washington Post reports. The department is not giving out any details about the new security measures. "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 reevaluated," Johnson said.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.