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<p>Scarcella-Spanton said at the press event that &#8216;nobody should feel unsafe where they are praying.&#8217;</p>
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<p>The New York Police Department (NYPD) says it will increase officer presence at local churches after several crimes committed at Catholic parishes on Staten Island.</p>
<p>Several Catholic churches on Staten Island <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/269057/new-york-senator-pushes-for-church-security-after-acts-of-vandalism" target="_blank">have been vandalized or attacked in recent weeks</a>, including a robbery and a violent incident during a morning Mass in which two police officers were injured. </p>
<p>State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton called for increased police presence at churches in the area after the incidents. At a Jan. 15 press conference, local leaders including NYPD Staten Island Borough Commander Melissa Eger said police presence would be heightened at churches across the borough. </p>
<p>Eger said at the press conference that none of the incidents indicated that the Catholic churches had been targeted due to religion, describing the crimes as “acts &#8230; of opportunism and theft&#8221; as well as one incident involving a mentally ill person. </p>
<p>“That said, any incident, especially a disruption of service that occurs at any house of worship, generates serious concern from our community and we know that,” the commander said. </p>
<p>Scarcella-Spanton said at the press event that “nobody should feel unsafe where they are praying.”</p>
<p>Addressing the Catholic community, she said: “I just want you to know that we stand with you.”</p>
<p>“We’re going to be making sure that this issue is highlighted, because I think it’s important to bring light to the fact that this has happened now four times,” the state senator said. </p>
<p>Also at the press conference was Father Jacob Thumma, the pastor of both St. Ann’s Church and St. Sylvester’s Church, both of which were the site of recent criminal incidents. </p>
<p>Referring to the incident at St. Ann’s on Jan. 9 where a man violently disrupted morning Mass and injured two responding officers, Thumma said the altercation “highlights an urgent societal concern — the need for enhanced services and compassionate care for those suffering from mental illness.“</p>
<p>“We must continue to invest in mental health resources that support families [and] provide timely interventions before crises occur,” the priest said. </p>
<p>He further called on the public “to join us in prayer for the individual involved in this incident, that he may receive the healing he needs, [as well as for] for the injured police officers and their families.”</p>
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<br /><a href="https://www.ncregister.com/cna/nypd-increasing-presence-at-churches-after-incidents-at-staten-island-catholic-parishes">Source link </a></p>
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NYPD Increasing Presence at Churches After Incidents at Staten Island Catholic Parishes| National Catholic Register
