Tightening High Holy Days security

Increased police patrols and a special hotline to call for reporting were announced at a closed meeting on Sept. 2 about security for the Jewish High Holy Days.
More than 100 religious and local leaders, along with Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) officials attended the meeting. A print reporter was not allowed in. Officials said the media wasn’t invited.
Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter said in the Aug. 4 invitation sent to elected and religious officials that the aim of the meeting was to bring together community leaders and the NCPD to discuss policing strategies for the upcoming high holidays that include Rosh Hashana (Sept. 13-14), Yom Kippur (Sept. 22-23) and Simchat Torah (Oct. 5-6).
“I would also like to take this opportunity to ask for your continued support in our partnership of police and community,” Krumpter wrote in the invitation. “We ask you, and your congregation, to maintain vigilance, be our eyes and ears, and to report to us any suspicious or criminal activity that could potentially impact the safety and welfare of the people of this County.”
Detective Vincent Garcia of NCPD’s Public Information Office said that communities would be patrolled as a general pre-caution. “First and foremost, we have no evidence that there are any credible threats in Nassau County,” he said. “We always increase our patrols around places of worship during the holidays and all officers are aware of where these locations are.”

A special hotline, along with 911, are to be used for reporting suspicious activity during the holidays. The hotline number is (516) 573-7720, and will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, beginning at sundown on Sept. 13 and ending on Oct. 6 at sunset.
“Residents are reminded that they are one of our biggest assets,” Garcia said. “They know their communities. If they see something suspicious or that just doesn’t seem right, we ask that they call 911 immediately. Officers will respond and investigate any call.”
Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) stressed the importance of being vigilant and reporting suspicious activity. “With events around the world and at home giving us serious pause about the state of our security, we must all — citizens and law enforcement alike — be as vigilant as possible during the High Holiday season,” he said.
The proximity of John F. Kennedy International Airport to Nassau’s South Shore and the possibility that there are people “who want to do us harm,” Village of Lawrence Mayor Martin Oliner said that security is vital due and “we should do everything we can to be safe.”