No one needs a reminder of last week’s sad news out of Washington, DC, however, I’ve been asked by a number of organizations about security postures moving forward. It’s made me think that you, as community members, are wondering about your safety as you attend community events. I want you to know that our community leaders to improve security. It’s also important to remember that incidents like those in DC are still incredibly rare. Successful community security takes all of us, but security leaders are working to ensure best practices are being put in place.
The incident has galvanized Jewish security organizations, and I’m pleased to say they have been unified in their recommendations and statements. My organization, Security Community Network, in collaboration with Jewish Federations of North America, the Anti-Defamation League, Community Security Service and the Community Security Initiative of New York released recommendations after the event, and these have been shared widely. I’ll say they are not particularly groundbreaking. But, sometimes, being reminded of the basics is important and necessary. And one of the worries after such an incident is the potential for copycat activity, particularly in light of propaganda from foreign terrorist organizations calling for violence against Jewish communities. However, no ongoing threat to public safety has been identified, and as always in the wake of an incident, we urge heightened vigilance and preparedness measures, to include revisiting the following recommendations:
Ensure awareness and coordination with law enforcement and the Jewish security professional serving your community or region.
I’m in regular contact with Portland Police and the local FBI office, and am in contact with every Jewish organization across Oregon and SW Washington. Every organization knows how to use me as a resource for emergency preparedness and law enforcement liaison.
Where possible, seek to extend the protections or security of your event’s/facility’s perimeter as far as possible.
The idea for this one is to have your perimeter be as wide as you’re logistically able to monitor. This may mean changes to what you see at your local organizations, but it also might not. Most organizations have clearly identified perimeters that have been established with thought and deliberation.
Only open events to identifiable individuals and pre-screened invitation lists (e.g., no mass emails to the broad public).
This is fairly well established for nearly all our community’s events. Organizations may have email distribution lists and advertise on social media, but individuals still need to seek out these platforms and actively join to get announcements. Organizations can call me to discuss additional practices that can enhance the screening of visitors.
Particularly for events open to the public, registration and verification of registrants are required.
This is an excellent best practice that many of our organizations already employ. Aside from getting a head count on expected attendance, it allows organizations to know who to expect and provide guidance on who might need additional vetting.
Provide details of location, time, and other information only upon confirmed registration.
Consideration for the release of details prior to registration should be made with care, as there may be logical reasons to release some elements.
Have access control (locks and entrance procedures) to only allow known, confirmed registrants/attendees into the facility/event.
Access controls are one of the most important best practices for an organization. It may not be possible to prevent someone from entering and doing harm, but unlocked, unattended doors are an absolute “no.”
Remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.
Ensure your community is trained in situational awareness and knows who to report unusual activity to.
Consider armed on-duty or off-duty law enforcement, private security, and/or volunteer teams as additional layers of protection.
Visible security can be a useful deterrent. A review of real-life incidents shows perpetrators make changes to their plans if they sense they’ll be challenged or thwarted. Place security personnel at entrances and throughout your facility.
Additional considerations are to ensure you have security and emergency plans and evaluate your communication needs. Make sure your staff and volunteers know your emergency plans and provide ways for them to practice the skills through drills. Walkie-talkies provide excellent communication in an emergency. Many organizations rely on texting during events, but in an emergency, texting will be nearly impossible. Secure your Zoom or livestream feeds with passwords and don’t share the links publicly.
As a community, we’ll continue to meet the challenges these times have created. As always, I’m available to work with organizations to tweak and improve security practices and can be reached at janderson@securecommunitynetwork.org or 872-273-9214.