Director Al Imperiale of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office suggested if people look out of place at worship services, “call the local police.”
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Etzion Neuer, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s NJ region, urged synagogue leaders to “make personal New Year’s resolutions” to tighten security systems in the coming year.
Photos by Robert Wiener
September 16, 2009
Jewish leaders and law enforcement officials urged synagogue leaders and others to do what they can to make their institutions more secure for the High Holy Days.
Speaking at the Alex Aidekman Family Jewish Community Campus in Whippany, security experts offered specific tips, including coordinating security with local law enforcement, developing a security plan, and making sure institutional property has necessary safeguards (see sidebar).
The Sept. 14 security briefing was cosponsored by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office; the Morris County Connection, an outreach effort of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ and JCC MetroWest; and the Anti-Defamation League’s NJ office.
“Every institution has some risks. It depends on your constituents,” said Etzion Neuer, regional director of ADL NJ. “Whether you serve the elderly, if you have children in your building, you have to plan accordingly. Good security isn’t just about locks and cameras and defense. It doesn’t necessarily mean high-tech security gadgets. It’s about attitude, it’s about vigilance, and it has to be an ongoing process.”
The event brought together rabbis and synagogue officers with prosecutors and plainclothes police officials.
Neuer urged members of the Jewish community to “get to know your local law enforcement. Don’t let the 911 call be the first time that you meet the police officer who has to serve you.”
But, he warned, “do not be completely reliant on the police department. You know your building better than the police department.”
Mitchell Weiss, who has served as a liaison between the clergy and the New York Police Department, shared recommendations he made to Morris County police and prosecutors. He assured Jewish leaders that “local police coverage will be increased significantly” during the High Holy Days and that “unannounced police visits will take place at many of your synagogues and Jewish facilities.
“There is no major specific threat to anyone in Morris County,” he said, “but as we’re living in a post-9/11 world, safety is always the best way to go.”
Director Al Imperiale of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office displayed a PowerPoint presentation featuring photographs of violent offenders. He suggested worshipers be on the lookout for strangers wearing baggy clothes that could be used to conceal weapons, as well as people taking photographs of houses of worship and “people who don’t belong. If they are out of place, make a phone call to the local police.”
As for using armed private security guards, Imperiale asked, “If the police respond, are they going to know the good guys from the bad guys?” He suggested such guards “go to the local police department so they have some way of identifying them if an incident occurs.”
‘Harden your target’
Director Al Imperiale of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office urged synagogue leaders to secure their institutions or, in police jargon, “harden their target.”
“You don’t want to make it like a prison but security is important,” he said. “Do it in ways that the bad guy knows you’re putting obstacles in front of him.”
Imperiale offered a checklist:
- Make sure your property is well-lit.
- Locks — who has access and who has keys?
- Walls, fences, gates, and plantings “are simple things you can do.”
- Develop a security plan and a create a security committee.
- Use ushers and greeters during services “who may know members of the congregation better than the rabbi.”
- Keep parked cars away from areas close to the building.
- Control access to the synagogue with a limited number of unlocked doors and have an emergency evacuation plan.
- Make sure closed-circuit cameras are working.
— ROBERT WIENER
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