Paramus—The frontlines of terror are no longer on battlefields; rather, terrorism can occur anywhere, particularly in urban and suburban contexts. The threats toward JCCs and other Jewish institutions this past winter were just a symptom of the changing dynamic that all Jewish, parochial and other religious and government institutions must remain alert and vigilant to threats of all types. Security teams must work closely with their city’s law enforcement and use the latest available technologies to avoid risk and prevent the perpetration of a wide range of security incidents. This past week’s shooting at a congressional baseball game practice is but another chilling reminder of the capacity for perpetrators to find holes in security procedures and twist them to hurt others.
Many yeshiva day school security teams, in particular, work aggressively and actively to stay ahead of risk, minimize security gaps and keep their institutions safe and secure. Former NYPD counter-terrorism detective Tommy Maldonado and Bill Lopez, a former New Jersey state corrections officer who worked with the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, are passionate about security and take their jobs seriously as co-leads of the security team at Yeshivat Noam, based in Paramus.
Calling upon their combined 45+ years of experience, Maldonado and Lopez have formed a private security firm, Security Specialists, and due to popular demand they have begun to offer private security services to the Jewish community on an ad hoc basis for weekends and holidays.
Security Specialists, with its two lead members, secure events large and small, in both Manhattan and New Jersey, including high-profile celebrity weddings. They also provide VIP protection, corporate and event security. Their broad range of skills include conventional perimeter security, facility operations and prevention of criminal behavior, counter-terrorism, crisis management and first response, criminal investigations, undercover, narcotics surveillance, gang surveillance, intelligence collection and incident management.
“We want the community to know the importance of security in Jewish establishments, and how seriously we take it,” said Lopez. He stressed the added importance in today’s world of hiring personnel with significant experience and active connections to local law enforcement institutions.
“We are willing and able to talk to community members about safety and to see if we are able to provide assistance,” said Maldonado. For questions or requests, contact Tommy Maldonado at [email protected].
By Elizabeth Kratz
