New York – In preparation for the influx of children and young adults onto the summer scene in the Hudson Valley and Catskills, representatives from police, fire, EMS, FBI, counter terrorism, and the Hasidic community convened Thursday afternoon at the Orange County Emergency Services Center to stress “connectivity” between groups.
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The pre-summer conference was the first meeting of its kind between law enforcement and Jewish summer camp managers. In years past, the emphasis of their relations was placed in overcoming cultural differences and conflicts, but the Orange County Sheriff’s Office wished to instead accent Homeland Security as the premiere agenda.
Abe Friedman, a community liaison for the Hasidim, commended the sheriffs for bringing the various groups together, stressing the importance of a strong link between the protectors and the protected, and the incorporation of homeland security.
“This day and age, people are concerned of [terrorists] walking into a mosque or a church and, God forbid, do another shooting…so we’re hoping and praying for a safe summer season and that’s why homeland security comes into the picture,” Friedman said.
James Horton, assistant director of the New York State Office of Counter-Terrorism, advised camp councilors to take “common sense” precautions regarding perimeter security, lighting and signage.
Horton also suggested they take note of the potential indicators of terrorism, including out-of-place surveillance like someone taking pictures or someone testing security response times. He suggested looking out for the “eight signs of terrorism,” and abiding by the “see something, say something” rule.