Feature
A Community’s
Security in Good Hands
What makes a community secure? A welltrained
police department, dedicated state
and federal agencies, and vigilant citizens
in neighborhoods can go a long way toward
keeping us safe. But Jewish Community
Partners (JCP), in collaboration with the Secure
Community Network (SCN), recently took a
bold step up in the collective security efforts of
the Memphis Jewish community.
JCP and SCN, the official homeland security
initiative of the organized North American
Jewish community, launched a Regional
Security Director (RSD) program with the hiring
of Memphis resident, Stuart Frisch.
Frisch is a law enforcement veteran with
more than 20 years of experience in planning,
developing and implementing security
programs across the military, corporate, and
government sectors. His impressive resume
includes stints as a Special Operations soldier
with the Israel Defense Forces, an officer
with the Memphis Police Department, and
a security professional for the Office of
Homeland Security. Most recently, Frisch
served as Coordinator of Security Operations
for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,
where he was responsible for creating security
policy for a workforce of more than 5000
across 17 countries.
“Security is a top priority for our Jewish
community, and we were ready to take our
efforts to the next level,” said Laura Linder,
President and CEO of Jewish Community
Partners. “Partnering with SCN to create this
role took us to that next level, and Stuart is the
perfect fit to ensure it gets done right.”
Modeled after a successful U.S. Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) program, this
innovative approach is the first of its kind
for a faith-based community. The three-year
pilot RSD program came after months of
collaboration between JCP and SCN, identifying
areas of mutual concern, as well as opportunity.
Frisch will have access to the latest information
through SCN from national-level partners,
including the FBI and DHS, on threats to
the Jewish community, as well as a direct
connection to best practice resources.
“As the law enforcement defender of civil
rights in the U.S., the FBI collaborates with
state and local law enforcement to investigate
many types of hate crimes, but it is the
relationships with the community that will
best allow the FBI to find and bring to justice
those who seek to tear us apart,” said Regional
FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael T. Gavin.
“Our greatest weapon against these threats is
unity. Unity is built on information sharing and
coordination among our partners in the law
enforcement and the intelligence communities,
like Mr. Frisch. It is built on partnerships with
the private sector and effective outreach to the
20 September 2018 I www.jewishscenemagazine.com
public as our eyes and ears. It is built on the
idea that, together, we are smarter and stronger
than we are standing alone.”
Frisch will serve as a point person for security
issues; monitoring, coordinating, and sharing
information regarding the community, like
public safety issues and terrorism; regular
visits to Jewish organizations to assess security
needs and make recommendations; designing,
developing, and providing security training and
education; maintaining effective partnerships
with law enforcement and emergency
management agencies; and coordinating
security for events.
Initiating the partnership, SCN National
Director and CEO Michael Masters and Frisch
met with local law enforcement leadership
including representatives of the Memphis
Police Department, Emergency Management
Agency of Shelby County, the United States
Secret Service, and the FBI, among others.
With the launch of the RSD initiative and
the hiring of Stuart Frisch, the Memphis
community and its neighbors across the
Southeast gain a tremendous local resource,
while also joining a national network of
security directors, safety experts, and dedicated
professionals devoted to the well-being of the
North American Jewish community.
By Matt Timberlake
Stuart Frisch has served as a special
forces soldier with the Israel Defense
Forces and an officer with the Memphis
police department of Homeland Security.
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