US cities boost security after Paris attacks

NEW YORK

The New York Police Department has ramped up security in the country’s largest city in response to a series of deadly attacks in Paris, the force said Friday.

There was no known threat to the city, the department said in a statement, but it deployed extra police to some neighborhoods out of "an abundance of caution".

Additional police, including elite special forces–type units called Hercules Teams "have been dispatched to crowded areas around the city out of an abundance of caution to provide police presence, and public reassurance as we follow the developing situation overseas," said the department.

"Specific deployments, at French government locations in New York City, were made immediately after the attacks," it said.

The department also said the its intelligence bureau was conducting liaison activities to assist Paris police.

Police in Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia said although there were no known threat to their cities, they were taking precautions including adding extra patrols.

Law enforcement in Washington, D.C. deployed additional officers to the French Embassy and other France-related buildings.

Meanwhile, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered law enforcement agencies to "remain vigilant in the wake of these senseless attacks."

"The New York State Police, the New York State Intelligence Center and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services are actively monitoring the situation for any implications in New York State and remain in constant communication with their local and federal partners," Cuomo said in a statement.

He also said that Friday night and in the days ahead One World Trade Center would be lit in the colors of the French flag. The skyscraper is the tallest building in the U.S.

More than 140 victims are believed to have been killed across the French capital Friday, with shootings and explosions reported at different sites.