Security to be tight during Passover

NEW YORK The NYPD's deputy commissioner of intelligence, David Cohen, told Jewish leaders at a meeting on Tuesday that counterterrorism forces "will be in high gear throughout the Passover period."

Cohen says New York City and its large Jewish population face constant threats in al-Qaida, the Hezbollah guerrilla group and so-called homegrown terrorists. But he stresses that the department has no evidence of any specific terrorist activity related to Passover.

Police officials say that as a precaution, the NYPD will step up patrols in Jewish communities and around places of worship.

The weeklong Passover observance begins at sundown on April 19.