Whippany— Robert Wilson joined the professional staff at Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest on February 6 as the organization’s first-ever chief security officer and has spent his first month on a “getting to know the community tour.” He has been from one end of Greater MetroWest to the next, meeting with leaders and staff at their partner agencies, day schools and area synagogues, as well as his regional and municipal law enforcement counterparts. He will tour neighborhoods and Jewish cemeteries, and stop in at bagel shops, Jewish delis and Judaica stores.
Last fall, the Federation Board of Trustees overwhelmingly voted to extract funds from the organization’s emergency reserve to invest in enhanced community security. This position is one key part of the plan that also includes advanced training and establishing a community-wide alert system.
“We recognized that many of the institutions in our community were feeling vulnerable,” said Federation President Leslie Dannin Rosenthal, “and realized that we as Federation were uniquely positioned to address their common concerns on a large scale.”
In his new role, which he admittedly is “defining on the job as needs present themselves,” Wilson will be the point of contact for any security issues that arise in the community. He will provide all institutions that want it with a foundation from which to build a secure site, help them understand their vulnerabilities and formulate baseline security protocols, serve as a portal to the community from federal agencies about any real and relevant threats, build partnerships so the community can share resources and improve purchasing power and so much more. He also sees himself as serving as the “voice of calm and reason” in the current climate of “chaos and information overload.”
He has more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement and security. He began his career with the Teaneck Police Department, where he rose through the ranks from an officer to the chief, leading a team of 100 officers. From there he went on to serve as the director of public safety at the College of Staten Island. Throughout his career he has most enjoyed “helping to unite disparate groups for the common purpose of ensuring everyone’s safety.”
“Security is all of our responsibility—it’s a collaborative effort. And I’m proud of Federation for recognizing this need and establishing itself as the central resource for the community. Security is a continuum—the threats and trends are always changing, and I’m excited to be here to help the Greater MetroWest Jewish community take on this challenge.”
