Nearly 15 years later, my older son was born. My wife and I enrolled him in the Early Childhood Center at our local Jewish Community Center when he was just over three months of age. Like many JCCs across the country, it was an amazing, multi-use facility. The JCC is a gathering place for the community. In addition to offering programs and services for people of all ages, the JCC is also home to a day school, fitness center, special needs center, senior center and summer camp, among its many other programs and services.

 

Sadly, it was almost entirely without any security measures.

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So, I offered to help where I could. It was the "mensch" thing to do, especially given my professional background in the security and crisis management field. 

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Over the next several years, I would advise on many security matters at that institution and others. Volunteer work led to paid consultation. The security initiatives at that particular JCC would become a model for organizations in the region. More and more institutions would seek out my expertise – not just Jewish institutions, but also churches, mosques and other vulnerable and targeted places.

 

I approached every single site as if my own children were inside the building. 

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Every one of my consultative engagements during the last 15 years has had a recurring common theme: the need for a top-down, security-oriented leadership mindset throughout their community.

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Unfortunately, without this culture deeply ingrained within your organization, other measures are often reduced to security theater.