The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) last week released the EMR-ISAC InfoGram for July 23, 2015. Included in today’s release is a copy of the DHS “Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Houses of Worship.” The guide was first published in June 2013 but has been included now because there has been a revival of interest in the aftermath of the Charleston church shooting. Earlier this year Rabbi Menachem Margolin, General Director of the European Jewish Association (EJA), called for heightened security measures in the aftermath of the murderous terrorist attacks in France to protect Europe’s Jewish communities.
On the local front, New Jersey legislators have voted 5-0 to pass legislation, A-4288, which would allocate $25 per nonpublic school student to be dedicated solely to security measures, including lockdowns and safety drills required under state law. Currently public schools receive an average of $138.25 per public school student for security, while the nonpublic schools receive no funding. On June 4, the Assembly Education Committee voted unanimously to report the “Secure Schools for All Children” act. The legislation will go for posting for a floor vote of the Assembly. A State Senate version of the legislation, S-2889, has been introduced by Sen. James Beach (Camden) and Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Dist. 36) who is the prime sponsor of the bill.
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Homeland Security also approved a proposal to increase the funding allocation for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) to $25 million for Fiscal Year 2016. Nobody will deny that the threats are real on the local level and the Manchester Township Police Department this week hosted training in the ALICE approach (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) on July 20 and 21 at the Manchester Township High School. The training is designed to teach proactive survival strategies in violent intruder or active shooter situations, according to a news release from the Manchester police department.
“These strategies can be utilized by schools, universities, places of worship, hospitals and other workplaces. The goal of the ALICE program is to provide individuals with survival-enhancing options for those critical moments in the gap between when a violent situation begins and when law enforcement arrives on scene,” according to the news release.
As previously reported here on TLS, The Agudath Israel NJ office organized a security workshop for schools and shuls of Central New Jersey hosted right here in town at the Lakewood Cheder. The workshop was provided by the NJ office of Homeland Security and the Lakewood Police Department. Members from the Lakewood, Deal, Highland Park, and Marlboro communities joined together for this informative and timely workshop. The workshop focused on terrorism awareness and facility security measures, and offered many practical ideas that all schools and shuls can implement in order to strengthen their security. Mr. John Paige from Homeland Security noted that in New Jersey there are over 18,000 religious centers and the most vulnerable group is the Orthodox Jewish community. Mr. Harry Kleinkopf from Homeland Security mentioned that in light of the recent rise in anti-Semitic attacks and terrorism around the world it is imperative that we recognize potential threats and properly protect ourselves to the best of our ability. You can read the original article here: https://thelakewoodscoop.com/2015/02/photos-homeland-security-workshop-held-in-lakewood-in-conjunction-with-agudah-lpd.html#sthash.Mia3pdYB.dpuf.
For those who have not participated yet in these initiatives, I am providing a link to the DHS “Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Houses of Worship”. It is the recommendation of the DHS that anyone associated with a school or house of worship review the instructions and guidelines and use it as the foundation for building their programs as the funding will be forthcoming in the coming year. https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/developing_eops_for_houses_of_worship_final.pdf
Ron Benvenisti, Business IT Risk Analyst, Integris Security LLC.