Safety concerns Five Towns residents, security expert speaks in Lawrence

Physical and verbal threats in a Costco in North Lawrence, swastikas in Glen Cove and a shooting in Jersey City where three people were killed, including a police officer, and one of the locations was a kosher supermarket has more than a few Five Towns residents concerned about safety.

“Sadly, our presentation tonight is rather timely,” said Paris Popack, president of the Lawrence Association at the organization’s Dec. 11 meeting at the Lawrence Yacht & Country Club in Lawrence. “With multiple threats to security and peace of mind, there are simple preventative measures that can make a world of difference.”

Safety and security expert Frank Storch, a Baltimore resident, was the guest speaker. Applying the more than 40 years of experience he has accumulated working with local, county and state agencies, Storch, 62, shared his advice for home, personal, family and community safety. He has also written books, including “Keep Your Camp Safe,” “Keep Your School Safe” and “Stay Safe in Israel.”

Storch said, the most important thing to do when it comes to safety is to be aware of your surroundings. “When we go places, we need to be constantly looking around,” he said. “Wherever you go, the first thing you should do is look around. Figure out where you can exit in case of an emergency.” After saying this, Storch surveyed the residents with their eyes closed by asking if they knew where the emergency exits. More than half of the roughly 30 people did not raise their hands. 

When it comes to safety in schools and places of worship, Storch said it’s essential to remember security basics. “Before these places take any extreme measures that cost a lot of money, they do the basic security things such as locking the door and having a panic button available to press,” he said. “Then come back to me and tell me you’ve done those things.”

Storch noted that he was aware of the incident that took place at the Costco on Rockaway Turnpike on Dec. 8, but he does not know all of the information. “What I can suggest is most people should not do what the man taking the video did,” he said. “He got away with it, but you have to really know what you’re doing to do something like that. It’s sad that not one person came up and tried to help him, I found that very disturbing.” 

Though disturbing to have to address the topic of safety and security, Popack explained that part of the association’s mission is to help educate the community. “As president of association, it’s a responsibility I feel to bring awareness and solutions to our residents,” she said. “Especially after the anti-Semitic verbal attack that took place at our local Costco.”

Lawrence Association member Rochelle Kevelson noted that despite the topic of the meeting, she was pleased with the attendance for the meeting. “I’m happy that we have a nice crowd here,” Kevelson said. “We should have this many people every month.”

Storch summed up the goal of the discussion as wanting to inform residents. “The idea of tonight was not to bore or scare you, it is to prepare you for many different scenarios,” he said. “The most important thing is that we’re all here for each other to help.”