Jewish Federation Hires Its First Community Security Expert

October 14, 2020 – Sarasota

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee is proud to announce it has hired Jeff Solomon, an experienced law enforcement professional as its first Jewish Community Security Director. Solomon’s new role is under the auspices of Secure Community Network (SCN) with whom The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee has partnered.  Since 2004, SCN has served as the official homeland security and safety initiative of the organized Jewish community in North America.

Jeff is regarded as a nationally recognized expert and consultant in threat and assessment, school safety and a co-author of three books.  He retired from law enforcement after nearly three decades.  He has worked for the California State University Police Department and the Grant School District Police Department, six years of which he served as the Chief of Police. Jeff also served as an Interim Chief of Police for a Central Valley California city for a little over a year. In addition, he also worked as a Deputy Sheriff for the Placer County Sheriff’s Department. 

He has conducted many training sessions and has spoken at events such as the Wisconsin School Resource Officers Conference and the Department of Justice Conference, presenting on “Missing and Abducted Children” in Texas. He recently met with the United States Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos, to discuss K–12 responses to active shooter events. In 2019, Jeff was invited to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in Washington, D.C. to co-facilitate a listening group of school safety experts to create a set of national standards for K­–12 school safety.

Michael Masters, CEO and National Director, SCN says, “We are proud to work in partnership with The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, adding Jeff to the SCN team of current and former military law enforcements experts working to build a security shield to secure the American Jewish community. In this role, Jeff will be able to leverage SCN’s national-level resources to benefit the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish community.”

Federation CEO Howard Tevlowitz says, “We are so thankful for the partnership with SCN and to work with experts in the field who have a real understanding of the needs of our Jewish community. We are also so fortunate to have someone of Jeff’s caliber who brings a knowledge of working with institutions, law enforcement and the general community. He can interface with others and garner support in ways that none of us can. He is an asset on steroids!”