03/04/2026
Cleveland Jewish Institutions Receive Increased Security
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Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News
by Jimmy Oswald
Jim Hartnett, the David P. Miller Director of Community Wide Security at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, advised that upon notification early on the morning of Feb. 28 that the U.S., and Israel were attacking Iran, he immediately initiated contact with the Cleveland FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, Ohio Department of Public Safety and area police chiefs to discuss the Jewish community’s security situation and request added police visibility at area synagogues.
Hartnett
Throughout the year, the Federation and its security provider, JFC Security, conduct exercises with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to prepare and pre-plan for periods when the threat level to our community is elevated due to geopolitical events. That way, they are not caught off-guard and scrambling to address the safety concerns of the community.
“We do a lot of pre-planning and preparation for just these types of events,” Hartnett, a former FBI supervisor, told the Cleveland Jewish News. “We saw the warning clouds building that there was potential for this conflict to jump off. We work throughout the year with all of our agencies, the Jewish schools and synagogues, to prepare them with the appropriate training and preparation for any type of elevated threat to the community.”
The Federation’s community security initiative has been set up for over a dozen years, and Hartnett said that the established security program has had experience when attacks have come against the Jewish community, such as the Tree of Life synagogue shooting on Oct. 27, 2018, in Pittsburgh, the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion of Israel and the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025, and increased the threat level around the country.
Britton
“It’s never business as usual because then you become complacent,” Hartnett said. “One of the first things we do is connect with our law enforcement partners. I was on the phone and in communication early Saturday morning, as soon as the conflict started, with area police chiefs, the head of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force here in Cleveland and all of the appropriate security partners with work with to touch base and see if there are any known threats or intelligence that needs to be broadcast out to the community.”
Beachwood Police Chief Daniel Grispino said that when significant international events occur that could have a local impact, they “proactively assess our security posture.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, we increase visibility and patrol presence around Jewish institutions, including synagogues and the (Mandel) Jewish Community Center (of Cleveland),” he told the CJN. “The Beachwood Police Department takes a preventive approach to community safety. We maintain ongoing intelligence monitoring in coordination with state and federal partners to ensure we are aware of any emerging threats. Due to security concerns, I will not discuss all of our proactive measures, however we utilize the latest in law enforcement technology to ensure the safety of our community and visitors.”
Grispino
In Cleveland Heights, Police Chief Chris Britton said that officers are directed to increase vigilance, maintain high visibility and up their patrols in and around sensitive locations.
“As chief of police, I recognize that international conflicts can create fear and uncertainty locally, particularly within Jewish communities,” he told the CJN. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have adjusted our strategic deployment to enhance visibility around Jewish institutions. This includes supplementing our regular patrols and coordinating with officers already working secondary details at schools and community facilities.”
University Heights Police Chief Dustin Rogers said that the department has “been coordinating with our law enforcement partners and JFC Security to further enhance safety and security in the community” since the attacks started on Feb. 28.
“This has included additional resources being deployed in the field, and preventative patrols and special details occurring at Jewish institutions in the city,” he said.
Rogers
Purim began on the evening of March 2 and many Jewish institutions had festivities over the weekend and through the holiday on March 3. Hartnett said the security team makes sure that they are made aware of these celebrations so they can recommend appropriate security to be added.
“We notify all the area police departments and make them aware of these celebrations to provide extra attention or even for the purposes of them having off-duty officers assigned to those events,” he said. “Some of the advice we give to the community is to be hyper alert to what’s going on as far as your surroundings, because individuals that could potentially be looking to identify a weakness in our security do their homework. You need to report suspicious activity as soon as possible.”
Institutions are also encouraged to ensure that the facilities’ cameras, locks, alarms and panic buttons are tested and working. Educating the staff to pay extra attention to their environment is a good idea, as well, Hartnett said.
“Officers are trained to watch for anything out of the ordinary, including suspicious behavior, unfamiliar vehicles or activity that appears inconsistent with the normal environment,” Britton said. “Our goal is early detection and proactive prevention. The Cleveland Heights Police Department has long maintained strong, collaborative relationships with local institutions, including Jewish organizations and the Jewish Federation. We communicate regularly, share information with our law enforcement partners and work together to ensure preparedness and rapid response to any potential threats.”
Grispino said that they have a “strong and collaborative” relationship with their Jewish institutions which helps with an open line of communication, which is ongoing year-round regardless of threat level.
“We routinely check in with community leaders at the Jewish Federation, and they contact us directly if they have concerns,” he said. “That partnership is built on trust, transparency and shared responsibility for safety. A police department is most effective when we collaborate with the community.”
Hartnett said that he encourages the Jewish community to look for something that seems out of place, a person or item that is not consistent with what you typically see on a daily or weekly basis. If there are concerns, contact the local police department and follow up with Federation security.
“No one knows the Jewish community like the Jewish community,” he said. “And through the Federation, we offer community security training that is at the highest level. We recommend every member of the Jewish community take advantage of being educated through our three core training programs: situational awareness, active threat mitigation and stop the bleed. We are happy to offer that through our open training at the Mandel JCC monthly or they can send an email to me and request it, and I’ll be happy to arrange it.”
How to contact JFC Security
- Jim Hartnett, the David P. Miller Director of Community Wide Security, can be reached at jhartnett@jewishcleveland.org or 216-593-2833
- The JFC security desk can be reached at 216-593-2929
