Happy Thanksgiving! There will not be a newsletter next week due to the holiday.
Please Be Aware
A 55-year-old Maryland man pleaded guilty in federal court to mailing at least 40 threatening letters and two postcards to synagogues, community centers and other Jewish entities from March 2024 to June 2025. Locations targeted were in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Maryland. FBI Philadelphia charged him with 17 counts of mailing threatening communications and eight counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs. The Greater Pittsburgh area did not receive any of these letters or postcards. See the below article for more information.
Now that the state budget has been approved, we are optimistic that applications for The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency (PCCD) Nonprofit Security Grant will be available shortly. In past years, applicants had four-six weeks to complete the application. If you are interested in applying and need assistance, please let us know.
So far in 2025, we have logged 291 incidents in our Virtual Command Center. This compares to 283 for 2024 and a total of 300 for all of 2023. We continue to collaborate closely with law enforcement to monitor potential threat activity. Please continue to report any suspicious incidents via the Incident Report Form.
Security Matters in the News This Week
- Maryland man pleads guilty to threatening Jewish institutions (www.fox5dc.com)
- North Texas houses of worship lock doors, tighten security amid surge in targeted violence (www.dallasnews.com)
- Mohamed Aicha, who allegedly battered police officer, charged with hate crime for cutting Israeli flag in Skokie, Illinois: police (abc7chicago.com)
- Racist graffiti threatening violence found on San Jose State University campus (www.cbsnews.com)
BluePoint Status
BluePoint is now live in 34 of the 36 locations. Police boxes have been installed at 29 of our organizations, enabling law enforcement to have immediate access in an emergency.
Security Resources and/or Training
Navigating Digital Threats: Strategies to Prevent Online Child Exploitation
Ahead of the next school year, please join the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse for a virtual training on preventing and responding to online child exploitation in K-12 communities. This session will feature a panel discussion with experts from the U.S. Department of Justice and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who will share valuable tools and resources to combat online child exploitation and educate teachers, students and families.
In the event of an emergency, please be aware that we have adopted the Standard Response Protocol to best communicate across communities and emergency response teams.
Request Training for Your Organization →
If you need Go Bags, Emergency Safety Procedures Flip Charts or medical supplies contact Erin Fagan at [email protected] or 412-992-5252.
