By Anna Gustafson
Additional resources and support from the state are needed for Queens and city nonprofits that could face terrorist attacks, according to a state report issued this week that was conducted pursuant to legislation sponsored by state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) and state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone).
“This thorough and comprehensive study highlights the challenge New York’s nonprofit community faces in defending against the omnipresent threat of terrorist attack and commits the state to helping them meet this burden through more focused government attention on their needs, greater harnessing of existing training availabilities and better coordination among state and local security agencies,” Lancman said.
The Non-Profit Homeland Security Preparedness Study Act, sponsored by Lancman and Stavisky and signed into law by Gov. David Paterson last summer, commissioned the state Office of Homeland Security to study and report on the security needs of nonprofit institutions to determine how state officials can best help them prepare for potential attacks.
Lancman said the legislation is especially needed after the arrest of four men who had plotted in May to blow up two synagogues in the Bronx. The FBI said the four men, all of whom live in Newburgh, N.Y., planned to attack the Riverdale Jewish Center and the Riverdale Reform Temple. The report calls on the OHS to designate dedicated staff to coordinate security issues with the nonprofit community and said the state should focus on leveraging the expertise and resources of nongovernmental entities, such as the Anti-Defamation League, to assist nonprofits with security needs, offer additional training on developing security strategies and increase nonprofit participation in local law enforcement’s counter-terrorism efforts.
Eighteen Queens groups submitted information about security needs to the state, including the Northeast Queens Jewish Community Council.
Gail Eisenberg, executive director of the Northeast Queens Jewish Community Council in Little Neck, said her group’s meetings and events were easily accessible on its Web site — an important resource for the public but worrisome should an attacker want to gain information about their happenings.
“Those who might want to harm us or our members or those who visit us can find us, including when we have events that attract significant participation,” Eisenberg said in her testimony to the state. “The Y already instituted certain security measures that enables it to employ and prevent a vehicle attack, but that does not mean we do not want to do more.”
Lancman and Stavisky said state officials will now move to implement the OHS recommendations in an attempt to better beef up security for the nonprofits that state legislators have long worried could be prime targets for acts of terrorism.
“The report shows that not only are additional resources needed to fully and adequately protect our not-for-profit organizations, but there is a need for better communication between the government and the not-for-profit community on what resources are already available,” Stavisky said.
Reach reporter Anna Gustafson by e-mail at agustafson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.
