SSCNA
Jewish communities that have the resources to utilize armed security generally only do so only on Shabbat and holidays due to financial constraints. This leaves weekday minyanim, classes and other synagogue and community gatherings unprotected.
If every Jewish life matters, then any gathering of Jews in their synagogues and community institutions deserves to be protected.
The SSCNA is singularly focused on creating effective volunteer first responders within our own communities. Acknowledging the reality that police cannot be everywhere at all times, the only way to ensure our communities are protected against violent hate crimes, active threats and terrorist attacks is to take responsibility for and effectively manage our own security.
As the first Jewish communal security organization in North America to develop a training standard for effective volunteer first responders, the SSCNA Synagogue Safety Officer program has become the standard for volunteer first responder certifications in the North American Jewish Community.
Council directors and advisors are renowned subject matter experts from their professional fields who make top-tier training, instruction, and services available to committed members of North American Jewish community.
Born and raised in Highland Park, Illinois, Carmi is an accomplished and recognized strategic risk management advisor to corporate executives, political figures, religious institutions and security professionals worldwide. Over the past 25 years, he has held corporate security and investigations leadership roles with several global organizations. He has appeared on nationally syndicated television and radio shows, and published books and professional articles related to personal security and counter-violence strategies.
Carmi has conducted counter-terrorism assessments in China, SE Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, and provided counter-terrorism and security awareness training for 14 sovereign government consulates.
Carmi is board certified in Security Management (Certified Protection Professional), is a Certified Anti-Terrorism Specialist (CAS), a nationally certified Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor, State Certified Private Security/Private Detective Instructor, and a licensed private detective.
Carmi has served as Chairman for the ASIS International Chicago-North Shore Chapter, currently serves as a Security Coordinator for several area Synagogues and Jewish schools, and for several years served as the Director of Community Safety & Security for a Chicago area community safety organization. Under Carmi’s guidance and direction, the organization expanded their community safety capabilities with a whole host of subsidized training classes, community-wide seminars and webinars, active threat police/community training exercises, law enforcement liaison efforts and synagogue security consulting.
Commander Rick Robertson (Ret.) has 30 years of law enforcement experience as a police officer, SWAT operator, and professional trainer in the second largest city in the state of Illinois. Rick began his career with the Aurora (Illinois) Police Department in 1993. There he has worked in patrol, training, intelligence, as a K9 trainer, and the Special Operations Group - Gang and Drug Unit. He was a member of the department’s Special Response Team from 1995 until his retirement. Within the SRT team, Rick served as an operator, sniper, team leader and team commander.
Rick is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy Session #254 and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government. In July of 2022 Rick retired from the Police Department as a Commander.
In addition to his career at the Aurora Police Department, Rick has worked for private military companies as a firearms and tactics instructor, taught tactical classes for various mobile training units, and delivered instruction in the police academy setting. Rick has also taught a (40-hour) low light tactics course at BASCAM; the training center for Israeli National Police Academy instructors.
Rick has obtained numerous law enforcement instructor certifications including Use of Force Instructor, CCL Instructor, Master Breacher, and Master Firearms Instructor. He currently teaches tactical response strategies to suicide bombers, firearms and tactical classes at a regional police academy, and is actively involved in community intelligence analysis and security consulting efforts.
Les Lawrence has been a lifelong defender and supporter of Jewish community organizations beginning with a 20 year term on the Chicago executive board of a preeminent national human rights association. In 2005, along with Rabbi Zev Kahn, he was one of the founding board members of the Jewish Education Team, an outreach organization focused on helping and guiding Jewish college students and young professionals. In 2009 he was one of the earliest members and supporters of the L’Chaim Center, a successful outreach organization serving Chicago’s North Shore communities.
Les began his professional career working summer jobs as a truck driver and material handler in the family business, Lawrence Foods. He received his BA degree with honors in Economics from Oberlin College and an MBA from the University of Chicago, in addition to two post graduate years financed by a fellowship in the business school PhD program. He currently serves as the Chairman of Lawrence Foods.
Greg is a decorated, veteran urban law enforcement professional and a decorated, veteran former soldier with over 30 years of combined experience and expertise.
Greg has worked with the Drug Enforcement Administrations (DEA) Mobile Enforcement Team (MET) and the 5th Judicial District’s Drug Task Force and Shooting Task Force in Colorado. Greg has held virtually every law enforcement position from patrol officer, shift supervisor, SWAT director, undercover Narcotics operations supervisor, Undersheriff and Interim Chief of Police.
Greg has a US Department of Defense (DoD) Top Secret security clearance and has worked as a subject matter expert, contractor or consultant for many US DoD Agencies including the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, the Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities (CETO), Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) and the US Marine Corps Special Operations Training Group (SOTG) to name a few.
Greg has trained every Tier One military force in the United States and much of the world. Greg has trained the DEA, FBI, ATF, CIA, DIA, and the US Department of Homeland Security, US Border Patrol, US Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC), US Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue team (BORSTAR), US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and many other agencies tasked with the protection of US Citizens domestically and abroad.
Greg created Combat Profiling and the Combat Profiling Program of Instruction (POI) and the USJFCOMs highly successful Border Hunter Program of Instruction (POI). He was the architect of the world-renowned US Marine Corps’ highly successful and lifesaving Combat Hunter program. In addition to the Combat Hunter program of instruction (POI); Greg was instrumental in designing and refining the USMCs’ Lioness and Law Enforcement Professionals programs for combat zones.
The programs that Greg created, [Combat Profiling, HBPR&A (Human Behavior Pattern Recognition & Analysis), ASAT® (Advanced Situational Awareness Training), MASAT® (Maritime Advanced Situational Awareness Training), SOFSAT® (Special Operational Forces Advanced Situational Awareness Training), ITSAT® Insider Threat Situation Awareness Training)] are scientifically and academically vetted and Combat tested (Iraq, Afghanistan, HOA) and currently in use by many DoD Agencies, US Forces, and Homeland Defense partners. The Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) General James Mattis referred to Greg as “National treasure.”
Greg is the founder and President of Arcadia Cognerati, a world-renowned training and consulting firm that has developed programs for Private Security Firms, several major Airlines, numerous school systems, First Responders and Law Enforcement agencies. Greg has lectured at Universities in Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Colorado and California and was the co-author on two white papers for scientific journals.
Brian is a decorated Marine, High Threat Protection security professional and Subject Matter Expert on Human Behavior Pattern Recognition & Analysis. He has spent the last seventeen years conducting both real world and training operations all over the United States, the Middle East and both Central and East Asia.
While in the Marine Corps, Brian served as a Marine Scout/Sniper with multiple combat deployments to the Al Anbar Province of Iraq during the height of counterinsurgency operations. As a Team Leader, he successfully led hundreds of both combat and training missions. During this time, Brian was meritoriously promoted ahead of his peers on three separate occasions due to his leadership capability and professionalism.
After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, Brian was hired by Cubic Applications to be a Tactics Analyst at the newly constructed Infantry Immersive Trainer (IIT) aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. During his time at the IIT Brian trained and advised thousands of Marines on how to make better tactical decisions during highly complex and chaotic live fire training exercises. Under his guidance, thousands of Marines became more adaptable and better at sense making during highly stressful situations. While working as an instructor, Brian assisted with a number of scientific studies conducted by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Pacific Science and Engineering (PSE) in order to help determine the efficacy of the Infantry Immersive Trainer and the Marine Corps Combat Hunter program.
Brian also worked as a security contractor for the U.S. State Department High Threat Protection program. During this time, he was responsible for personally protecting hundreds of U.S. Government personnel in multiple high threat environments including Iraq and Afghanistan. Brian performed all major duties of a security detail to include leading numerous small teams on highly sensitive protection operations.
Brian formally worked as a Senior Instructor/Team Leader for Orbis Operations. Brian taught Advanced Situational Awareness, Human Behavior Pattern Recognition & Analysis to numerous Tier One military clients, conventional forces, and private sector clients. During Brian’s tenure at Orbis Operations, LLC, Brian trained hundreds of Law Enforcement Professionals to include US Border Patrol, DEA, ICE, TSA, US Marshals and other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
Brian holds a Masters of Science in Applied Psychology from the University of Southern California and a Bachelors of Science in Political Science from Arizona State University.
Chief Christopher Kennedy is an accomplished law enforcement professional with more than 30 years of experience and has been recognized with more than 90 awards and commendations for search and rescue, lifesaving skills and fitness.
During his career with the Chicago Police Department, Chris spent about 12 years working in leadership and strategic planning. He has worked as a police officer, sergeant and in several command-level positions in the Targeted Response Unit, Marine and Helicopter Unit, Gang Investigation Division of the Bureau of Organized Crime and in the 1st District, among other posts.'
Chris most recently was serving as CPD’s Deputy Chief / executive officer overseeing Counterterrorism and Special Operations when he was named Chief of Police for the Northbrook, Illinois police department, where he currently serves.
Marat has been in the security technology industry for over 25 years, where he gained experience from working for some of the largest corporations in the field. Marat received his degree in electrical engineering from the technical college of industrial automation. Marat’s expertise in the security technology field covers all systems ranging from fire alarm, burglar alarm, CCTV, access control and emergency alert systems.
Marat has spent many years establishing partnerships with the technology leaders in the industry such as Edwards Systems Technology, Bosch, and S2, familiarizing himself with the most cutting-edge security products in the market.
Marat Sedenkov is the CEO of LaMarco Systems Inc, a life safety and security solutions integrator.
Hernan Silva in a cyber security and computer forensics expert. He holds more than 40 industry licenses and certifications and co-authored a book on cyber security. He received his B.A. in Business Administration from Northeastern University as well as numerous technical certifications.
Hernan has worked for small and large companies throughout his technical and entrepreneurial career. These include Micro-Tech, USA, Dell, Uwins and White Paper Computacion in Argentina.
In 2005 he formed USA IT Help, a successful managed service provider company based in Chicago which merged with CIO Landing. CIO Landing is now one of Chicago’s most trusted managed I.T. service, cybersecurity and compliance firms serving legal and SMBs, where Hernan serves as Chief Operating Officer, Partner and Cybersecurity Maniac.
John is the president of ThinBlueOnline.com, a company which provides a new type of virtual simulation-based communication training solution that allows Law Enforcement professionals to enhance verbal and interpersonal skills that can lead to less use of force in everyday encounters with the community. ThinBlueOnline’s communication training consists of a wide range of learning modules, each based around a specific scenario that allows critical social and verbal proficiency skills to be learned, practiced, and mastered.
John discovered software development at the age of 14 and by the age of 17 was working as a professional computer programmer while a senior in high school. John continued his youthful enthusiasm for computer technology and is self-taught in application architecture and software development.
Over the years, John had developed everything from small games to enterprise applications, from computer graphics to running a railroad. He has come full circle, now using computers as a learning tool, just as he was doing at his very first job over 40 years ago.
After the events of 9/11, Chad pursued a career in Law Enforcement. He felt called to serve his country and his community. Chad was sworn in by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office in Metro Detroit, where he served as a Corrections Deputy, Corrections Supervisor, Road Patrol Deputy, Swat Officer, and Detective. As a Detective Chad investigated numerous homicides and other violent crimes, and spent hundreds of hours on the witness stand, involved in many high-profile court proceedings.
After many years in Law Enforcement Chad relocated to Texas with his family to volunteer with an organization assisting Military Veterans and First Responders struggling with PTSD and other battles. At this time Chad also entered the business world learning the art of Business Development and building long lasting Business Relationships.
Chad is currently a Vice President with ThinBlueOnline.com, a company which provides a new type of virtual simulation-based communication training solution that allows Law Enforcement professionals to enhance verbal and interpersonal skills that can lead to less use of force in everyday encounters with the community. ThinBlueOnline’s communication training consists of a wide range of learning modules, each based around a specific scenario that allows critical social and verbal proficiency skills to be learned, practiced, and mastered.
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