Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey is pleased to announce the hire of Gerard Dargan as director of Jewish community security. In this role, he will provide direction and maintain oversight for the organization, development, management and monitoring of the northern New Jersey Jewish community’s security operations and programs, including emergency and disaster response plans. According to Jason Shames, CEO, “After Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue massacre, Jewish Federation immediately made it a priority to hire someone to help the entire community with security measures and safety plans. Unfortunately, this is the world we live in now, and through the generosity of many members of our community, Jewish Federation urgently responded to this important need.”

Dargan comes to Federation after a long career in law enforcement. Most recently, he was the captain of the criminal investigations division of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. Dargan’s expertise in investigations and detective work included physical plant safekeeping, data and evidence protection and creating and implementing emergency plans related to alarm, fire, evacuation and active shooter scenarios. He was also an investigator in Hudson County for seven years. Lisa Harris Glass, chief planning officer shared, “We are thrilled to have Dargan join the Federation team in this critical role. Federation’s highest priority is to keep our community safe, and Dargan’s expertise will be a game changer in providing our community with tools and strategies for safety.”

In this role, Dargan will work closely with law enforcement, Federation leadership, security consultants and community agencies. He will also serve as a liaison during crisis response and mitigation efforts, assisting local incident commanders.