Community security: planning that a volunteer board can actually maintain

Begin with an honest assessment

Walk the building with two or three people and write down what you find: which doors are unlocked during services, where sightlines are blocked, whether exterior lighting works at night, who holds keys, and how someone inside would call for help. Most first assessments surface a handful of fixes that cost very little — a working door closer, a replaced bulb, a posted emergency number.

Layer, do not fortify

Effective security is a series of small delays and clear sightlines, not a fortress. Controlled entry during programming, a greeter who is trained to notice rather than challenge, and unobstructed exits do more for real safety than dramatic hardware — and they preserve the openness a community depends on.

• One controlled entrance during services; all others exit-only.
• Trained greeters on a published rotation, briefed on what to escalate.
• An annually rehearsed lockdown and evacuation plan, including for the school wing.
• A written communication tree so families hear from you before rumor reaches them.

Funding the work

Nonprofit security grant programs exist at the federal and state level, and most applications reward the same thing: a documented vulnerability assessment tied to specific requested items with quotes. Start the assessment now, keep the incident log described in our antisemitism response guide, and the application becomes a matter of assembling what you already have.

Coordinate with local law enforcement

Introduce yourself to your district commander before there is an incident. Share your calendar of high-attendance dates, provide a floor plan, and name a single point of contact from your board. Departments respond far more effectively to institutions they already know.

Get help

JCAC reviews security planning requests from member and non-member institutions. Contact the advocacy team, or learn about the Council's regional security work at jcac.org.