61°
“It’s unique,” said Rabbi Abe Friedman, one of the event’s organizers, told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “Sheriffs and local police chiefs and county police chiefs and state police don’t always see eye-to-eye. “But at this meeting, they had people at all levels — from the federal Dept of Homeland Security to the State Police, along with five county sheriffs and 17 police chiefs — all together in one room talking about how to support one another.”
Bishops, rabbis, ministers and and others discussed their particular concerns involving safety and security headed into the summer.
Rabbi Abe Friedman at yesterday’s conference in Totowa
Friedman, for example, wanted law enforcers to know that in the event of a death or other tragedy, “we won’t interfere with our religious beliefs until an investigation is over.
“As leaders and chaplains, we support our individual communities,” he said, “and that means also supporting law enforcement.”
Such awareness matters, he said, especially when it comes to incidents in which the private Hatzalah ambulance service responds to car crashes and other incidents.
Hatzalah has 1,200 volunteers — all licensed EMTS — who mostly work at the Jersey Shore and in Union County.
“There have been some misunderstandings on the Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway over what Hatzalah is able to do,” Friedman told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “But this is being resolved, in part, through yesterday’s meeting.”
Hatzalah, he said, “has all the equipment in their car — heavy-duty equipment, medication, defibrillators.
“An ambulance then backs up the volunteer. They work closely with dispatchers to respond quickly and smoothly.”
The outreach program was launched five years ago by now-retired NJSP Major Al Della Fave, who attended yesterday’s event as spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Della Fave “reached out to religious leaders so that both sides could understand one another better,” Friedman said.
The program has continued under Major Gerald Lewis, commander of the NJSP Community Affairs Division.
Benefits have included not only better professional relations but also more personal involvement.
“In many instances, law enforcement members or their families are in personal need of help,” Friedman told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “God forbid that should ever happen, we are there for them.
Among yesterday’s attendees were Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino and Saddle Brook Police Chief Robert Kugler.
Representatives of the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Patrol and the Transportation Security Administration all gave presentations.
Click here to follow Daily Voice South Passaic and receive free news updates.
