GOSHEN – Law enforcement officials
from Orange and Sullivan counties, as well as the FBI and a top religious
leader compared notes on Tuesday at the Orange County Sheriff’s
Office in Goshen as the annual summer migration of Hasidic Jews is about
to begin.
The concern, according to Rabbi Abraham Friedman, is in the wake of the
Charleston church murders and the escaped killers in upstate, the summer
visitors to the Catskills could be targeted.
Friedman is concerned that summer camp leaders need to have a crisis plan
in place.
“We don’t want to think of the unthinkable, which happened
in Charleston, but unfortunately, this is the society we live in. We always
have to be pro-active rather than say to ourselves, ‘oh, we were
not prepared’,” he said.
Law enforcement discussing summer security
Sullivan County Emergency Services Commissioner Richard Martinkovic emphasized
individual safety in summer homes.
“One of the things we are going to try to push this year is to get
to the leaders of the summer community to try to get the folks to please
put in smoke detectors,” he said. “Forget about code enforcement
coming in. Protect yourself.”
Some police officials at the session expressed concern for the growing
lone wolf, home grown terrorists, and said people should be extremely
vigilant, especially around Independence Day.
Sullivan County Sheriff Michael Schiff reminded the summer residents of
pedestrian safety, especially when walking along unlit roads at night.
