NYPD to Offer Yeshivos Security Walk-Throughs

The New York Police Department said they will offer security assessments to all non-public schools in the city, offering a compromise on a bill that would have required the city to reimburse yeshivos for security guards.

Commissioner William Bratton made the announcement on Friday. But Councilman David Greenfield called it “an unacceptable substitute” for his legislation, which would compensate non-public schools for security services.

“I appreciate that the NYPD is finally publicly acknowledging the serious security needs of non-public schools,” Greenfield said in a statement.

“Unfortunately,” he added, “the administration’s approach treats non-public school students as second-class citizens. While every public school gets a security officer, non-public schools get the offer of walk-throughs and assessments; these are nothing new and are already available to non-public schools.”

For nonpublic schools to take advantage of the plan, they should contact the NYPD’s Crime Prevention Division to arrange for security surveys. NYPD officers will conduct walk-throughs of the school premises and make recommendations for enhancing the safety of the physical plant, as well as providing advice on any improvements that should be made

“This crime prevention service is available to all residents and businesses located in New York City, but we are extending a special invitation to non-public schools to ensure that they are aware of our program,” Bratton said.

Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, executive vice president of Agudath Israel of America and chairman of the Committee of New York City Religious and Independent School Officials, said he remained hopeful that Greenfield’s proposal would be accepted by the city, but called Bratton’s plan a “a meaningful contribution” to the security of the city’s nonpublic school population.

“Unfortunately,” Rabbi Zwiebel said, “we live in a volatile world where we all too often hear of children who are victims of violence and terror. In such a climate, it is essential that our schools be safe havens, places where both parents and children can enjoy a sense of physical security.”

This article appeared in print in the September 9th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.