BJay Pak, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak of the Northern District of Georgia made a plea for vigilance in Atlanta elsewhere Tuesday as a result of the deadly attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday.

“Our hearts are heavy in the wake of the senseless, mass shooting that occurred at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, and we extend our deepest condolences to the victims and their families of this tragedy, and to all Jewish people,” Pak said in a news release. “The federal law enforcement in the Northern District of Georgia is committed to making sure every house of worship in our area remains a safe and holy place.”

“It is the FBI's ultimate responsibility to protect American citizens and uphold the U.S. Constitution,” Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Field Division Chris Hacker said in the same news release. “To that end, we actively assess intelligence and are in a continuous dialogue with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners about any potential threats. But, most importantly, we need the public's eyes and ears on anything suspicious, and we need them to call us when they see or hear it.”

“It is important that everyone in our community remain vigilant and contact law enforcement when something doesn't seem right,” Pak and Hacker said. “Concern may arise from seeing or hearing something in person or from threatening or hateful social media posts, especially those posts which target others based on their race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation.”

Pak offered the definition of a hate crime under federal law: an offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by the offender's bias against the victim's race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. And he included information about a new website the Department of Justice has created (www.justice.gov/hatecrimes) to provide a centralized portal for resources for law enforcement, media, researchers, victims, advocacy groups and other related organizations and individuals. The resources include training materials, technical assistance, videos, research reports, statistics and other helpful information from all of the department components working on hate crimes.

Pak also encouraged calls to 911 in case of an emergency or the FBI at 770-216-3000 with tips. “If you see something, say something,” Pak said. “We want to quickly learn about anything you see or hear that causes you to believe that any level of danger exists. There is simply too much at stake not to say something.”