Bomb Plot Spurs Demand For More Security Funds

by Sharon Udasin
Staff Writer

In the aftermath of the foiled terror plot against two synagogues in Riverdale, local political and Jewish leaders are asking the federal government to increase security funding to urban nonprofit organizations they say are most at risk.The Urban Areas Security Initiative Nonprofit Security Grant Program – a Department of Homeland Security initiative that originated in 2005 drastically reduced the total amount of such grants in 2007 from just over $24 million nationwide to $15 million.

The funds, to be distributed in August, allow organizations to update their security safeguards by bringing in state-of-the-art monitoring equipment and training their employees to handle emergencies.  To qualify,  organizations must  pass through individual state review boards, then undergo s national review to determine the amount of aid.

Many local legislators argue that the $15 million – just over a quarter of which went to New York institutions last year is far from enough for all the eligible applicants  and that last week’s terror plot which could have injured dozens of civilians if not foiled by federal agents and the NYPD  underscores the need for more aid.

“This plot is a stark reminder that religious institutions need sufficient resources to keep them safe from the threat of a terrorist attack,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) told The Jewish Week via a spokesperson. “In the coming days, I plan to work with my colleagues in Washington to deliver the security funding we need to safeguard our synagogues and other community and religious institutions.”  Continue reading…