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Finally, on April 27, there was a deadly shooting at a synagogue in a suburb of San Diego.

\"The reality is we are in a period of heightened threat,\" said John Cohen, a former acting undersecretary at the Department of Homeland Security and current ABC News contributor.

\"We are experiencing an increase in targeted attacks against people and places associated with religious worship and beliefs. That said, the FBI and state and local law enforcement are very aware of the threat and are working aggressively to address it,\" Cohen said.

\"PHOTO:
Sandy Huffaker/AFP/Getty Images
PHOTO: A San Diego County Sheriff's deputy directs traffic in front of the Chabad of Poway Synagogue on Sunday, April 28, 2019 in Poway, Calif.
>

The latest attack, where one woman was fatally shot and others were injured inside a Poway synagogue near San Diego, has led to increased security efforts across the country.

In Chicago and Los Angeles, police spokespeople have confirmed that officers are doing more patrols and increasing their visibility around synagogues and other religious institutions in the wake of Saturday's shooting.

The same is true in the New York City area, which has more Jewish residents than in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv combined, according to multiple population reports. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday that he was directing state police to \"increase their security presence at synagogues and houses of worship.\"

\"PHOTO:
Seth Wenig/AP
PHOTO: Tourists walk past police officers standing in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, April 18, 2019.
>

\"We must come together during this troubling time to root out hate in all its forms and show the nation we will never be divided by these despicable acts of violence,\" Cuomo said in a statement.

Cohen said there are three ways that law enforcement can help secure houses of worship: outreach to local religious leaders, increased physical security and visible deterrents and covert surveillance like undercover officers.

While some congregations have been hiring private security teams “for some time now,” Cohen said he's increasingly hearing it raised as \"a topic of conversation with faith leaders.\"

\"The idea that we can put a uniformed police officer in front of every house of worship is unrealistic. That means we need to focus on why the trend is occurring and do more to address it,\" he said.

He went on, \"This is a concern that has been elevated for some time. They have been tracking the increase in targeted acts of violence and hate crimes directed at both faith-based facilities as well as individuals because of their faith.\"

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