May 31, 2002/Sivan 20 5762, Vol. 54, No. 37
Fitting honorsEditorialEven before the reality of Sept. 11 had impinged on our consciousness, the Phoenix Police Department was on high alert. As most of us spent the long, awful day glued to our televisions watching the tragedy unfold, the department's Community Response Squad was monitoring activity to assure that reverberations of the horrific attack would be averted here. Luckily, we were spared further violence. Our law enforcement personnel were at the ready should we have needed them.That's what they are charged to do, they tell us, and in the Valley, that is what they do, and do well. The Phoenix Community Response Squad has existed for many years, most recently appointing individual community liaisons. Phoenix Police Detective Sebon White is the Jewish community liaison, and it was White who kept watch from Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix on Sept. 11. The federation's Jewish Community Relations Council will honor him at its annual meeting Thursday, June 6, at Temple Solel. A 27-year Phoenix police department veteran, White helped assure that the community received the extra modicum of protection in the wake of the Sept. 11 attack. Marked police vehicles were stationed at each Jewish communal agency or institution for the first 24 hours post 9/11, and increased surveillance continued for several weeks. In addition, police worked with organizations to evaluate security procedures and advised on how to improve them. An advisory committee comprised of local communal professionals was convened to discuss emergent security concerns, in particular, offering counseling on how to reconcile a need for increased vigilance with a concomitant need to maintain perspective and moderate fear. White emphasizes that awareness and communication are key. "The phone is always open," he says, urging community members to call law enforcement authorities "if anything looks out of place." He dispenses his down-home maxims not only to local citizens, but to fellow law enforcement officers in surrounding municipalities as well. The aim, he says, is to share resources and coordinate efforts. "Make sure you are in your comfort zone," is White's advice for assessing potential danger. Having law enforcement officers such as White on the front lines helps all of us access that comfort zone. Come out on June 6 and let them know how much we appreciate their efforts. |
