I’ve fielded a lot of questions in the past week following the car ramming at the Michigan synagogue. You’ve probably read that Temple Israel is one of, if not the, largest Reform synagogues in the U.S. It has a huge campus, over 12,000 members, and I’m sure it’s a challenge to keep secure. Their processes were tested last week when an individual drove his car into the building and down the hall of the synagogue before getting stuck and engaging with armed guards. The perpetrator ended the incident by killing himself. Based on the information I have, their security procedures worked perfectly. Guards engaged the driver; school staff and teachers initiated a lockdown, and the single injury was to a security guard who was hit by the vehicle inside the building. He is recovering with broken bones but is being called a hero as he managed to alert the school to the lockdown during the incident.

We are going to remain in a heightened security posture for the foreseeable future. My opinion is that every time an incident happens, we’re not statistically more at risk than we were the day before. Yes, we worry about copycats, people being inspired by current events, but don’t we always worry about these things? We’ve been in this heightened state for at least a couple of years – and frankly, it’s hard to imagine it getting worse. It doesn’t make sense for communities to wait for something to happen on our own doorstep to take actions that we know we should take now. Some organizations might not need to make physical changes, but everyone should be asking if there are ways they can improve something about their security protocols. I can tell you that most of our community is not sufficiently trained, and I’ll continue to say that, aside from organizational safety planning, individual preparedness and training are extremely important. I tell community members who are concerned about security at organizations that getting trained will give them increased confidence about being in Jewish spaces. Training will help them feel like they will know what to do if something happens.

The incident, like those that have come before, forces communities to revisit security practices. Jewish security organizations continue to be unified in their recommendations and statements. My organization, Security Community Network (SCN), in collaboration with Jewish Federations of North America, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Community Security Service (CSS), and the Community Security Initiative (CSI) of New York released recommendations after the event, and these were reshared last week. Again, they are not particularly groundbreaking. And thankfully, there are no credible threats to public safety in Oregon at this time. A reminder of the eight best practice recommendations for securing Jewish spaces:

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.I am in contact with every Jewish organization across Oregon and Southwest Washington. Every organization knows how to reach me if they need assistance with anything.

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 logically 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 established for nearly all our community’s events, and, if it’s not, please consider adding this process. 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 before registration should be made with care. The more secure a location and its security practices, the more information may be shared, 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.” The human element is the most vulnerable part of any security plan. Put practices in place that minimize possible human error.

Remain vigilant and report suspicious activity. Ensure your community is trained in situational awareness and knows who to report unusual activity to within your organization. Establish the expectation that community members are part of the security layers of an organization.

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 – don’t plan to rely on texting. Many organizations use 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.