Site Visits and Vulnerability Assessments
A site visit is the first step to becoming a CSI partner. It is administered to familiarize site leadership with CSI programs and services, assess the institution’s physical security footprint, and identify key vulnerabilities. CSI subsequently delivers a security assessment containing observations and several — mostly zero-cost — options for bolstering the institution’s security. The site visit will also result in NO COST registration into the CSI database and access to all CSI trainings. Following the visit, your organization will be added to our information-sharing database and our One Voice Emergency Alert System. To date, CSI has conducted hundreds of site visits and vulnerability assessments of Jewish institutions just like yours.
Security Best Practices Meetings
The CSI Special Projects team addresses new and/or existing security concerns at Jewish institutions. We also focus on new security issues that may have emerged due to international and domestic incidents that affect the local Jewish community. The team studies these security issues and recommends security improvements that specifically apply to the partner’s facility, which are developed from FEMA and ASIS International best practices. The CSI Special Projects team urges our partners to concentrate on People, Procedures, and Equipment to have a robust and successful security posture.
Construction Consultations
CSI also offers expert construction consultations before, during, and after new construction or retrofitting at your facility. CSI helps you avoid pitfalls like failing to consider your security needs throughout your construction project. CSI can guide you, your institution’s board, and your project team through the process of ensuring security considerations are built into construction plans before breaking ground. CSI has consulted on almost every major Jewish nonprofit construction project over the past 7 years!
Nonprofit Security Grant Program
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is released each fall and spring through state and federal programs. Both are administered by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES). NSGP can help offset the costs of securing your organization. CSI stresses our partners should take responsibility for their facility’s security on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis by using their current CSI site assessment as a guide to secure their facility. We urge our partners to use a grant writer who has experience writing grants for Jewish institutions.
Lastly, CSI strongly recommends partners to sign up for the NSGP webinars offered by CalOES, which explain the application process and worksheets in full detail. For further questions or concerns about the NSGP, please reach out directly to CalOES and/or FEMA.
You can also sign up for the FEMA newsletter, sign up for the CalOES newsletter, and access additional CalOES resources.
Shabbos Link
CSI has been privileged to leverage its collective experience serving the Jewish community over many years to identify gaps and develop concepts that lead to innovative solutions for your security needs. In 2016, CSI launched “Shabbos Link”, an expanded communications capability of the One Voice System using a unique pager system to address the needs of our Shomer Shabbos community. The system is reserved only for emergencies that can result in loss of life and provides 24/7 emergency notifications to the Jewish community, while adhering to the rabbinical laws governing the Sabbath. Shabbos Link pagers are currently installed in 50 synagogues around Los Angeles and are supported by the Rabbinical Council of California, Chabad West Coast, and other rabbinical organizations.