As tens of thousands of visitors prepare to head to the Catskills and surrounding Upstate communities for the summer season, federal, state, county, and local law enforcement agencies joined community leaders and emergency response organizations on Wednesday for a major pre-summer security briefing aimed at strengthening coordination and preparedness.
The annual meeting, hosted in Sullivan County, brought together representatives from the FBI, New York State Police, county sheriff’s offices, district attorneys’ offices, police departments, emergency management agencies, healthcare providers, and community organizations from across the Hudson Valley and Catskills region.
Among the agencies represented were the Sullivan, Orange, Rockland, and Ulster County Sheriff’s Offices; the Sullivan, Orange, and Rockland County District Attorneys’ Offices; the Ramapo, Spring Valley, Monroe, Monticello, Fallsburg, Liberty, and Woodridge Police Departments; Sullivan County Emergency Management and Health Department officials; New York State Department of Health and DMV representatives; and numerous municipal and county officials.
Community emergency response organizations, including Catskills Hatzolah, Chaverim of Rockland, and Catskills Chaverim, also participated in the briefing, alongside camp representatives, chaplains, askonim, and public safety partners.
Officials reviewed plans for managing the region’s dramatic seasonal population increase, discussing topics including traffic and transportation management, emergency preparedness, large-scale event coordination, healthcare resources, water and hiking safety, hate crime prevention, and interagency communications.
Catskills Hatzolah leaders outlined the organization’s extensive summer operations, which include hundreds of volunteer responders and multiple ambulances serving the region throughout the summer months and year-round.
Rabbi Abe Friedman, longtime law enforcement chaplain and community liaison who helped organize the gathering, emphasized the importance of proactive coordination among agencies before the summer season begins.
“This annual gathering demonstrates the strong partnership that exists between law enforcement, government agencies, healthcare providers, emergency responders, and community leaders,” Friedman said. “When agencies communicate and work together before challenges arise, it helps ensure a safer and more secure summer for everyone.”
Law enforcement officials praised the continued cooperation between agencies at every level and reiterated their commitment to protecting residents and visitors throughout the busy summer season.
Among the community leaders and askonim in attendance were senior community leader and law enforcement chaplain Rabbi Berish Freilich, Chevra Hatzolah CEO Avromi Braun, Catskills Hatzolah Coordinator Bernie Gips, Chaverim of Rockland Coordinator Yossi Margaretten, Rockland County law enforcement liaison Hershy Margaretten, Chaskel Bennett of Agudath Israel of America’s Board of Trustees, Law enforcement Chaplain Simcha Bernath, Community Askan Abe Rosenberg, Yoel Rosenfeld, and numerous other community representatives.
The annual security briefing has become a cornerstone of regional summer preparedness efforts, helping ensure that law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, healthcare providers, and community organizations remain coordinated and prepared for one of the busiest times of the year.
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One Response
Although I’m not a “country goer” myself, I’d like to express my deep appreciation for each and every individual who took the time and effort to attend this meeting, both for the potentiality of me benefiting from it and so too for the community (friends and family) at large benefiting from it. It’s amazing to see so many individuals from different municipalities etc coming together for the sake of the community. Of course it’s not easy “getting “ everyone together and my understanding is that thanks goes to Rabbi Friedman for that. You should all be blessed with an healthy and happy summer.