If you ask Director of Community Security Chuck Green what’s on his to-do list, he’ll likely rattle off 10 projects that have him going in 10 different directions, working with multiple organizations and synagogues at one time.
Perhaps the most visible symbol of community security is seeing Green, head security guard Ty Fernandez and the rest of the security team manning the desks and greeting visitors at The J – Jewish Community Campus. And while managing and coordinating that team and security at the JCC is a big part of Green’s job, community security is so much more than that.
“A lot of people don’t really understand exactly what I am in terms of what I’m here to do,” Green said.
The projects he works on run the gamut from helping congregations find off-duty officers for special events, to walking through Union Station to discuss potential security concerns ahead of the upcoming “Auschwitz: Not Long Ago. Not Far Away.” exhibit, to working with The J during its recent construction to make sure existing and newly added security measures work properly.
As director of community security, Green is essentially on retainer for the organizations, agencies and synagogues in the community. He is there for all their security questions and needs.
Green last month celebrated his four-year anniversary in the post, and his presence is particularly poignant this time of year, when the community remembers the three murders committed by a white supremist at the Campus and Village Shalom on April 13, 2014. The security director position came about as a direct result of that incident.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City hired Green, a former Secret Service agent, to help develop and implement a comprehensive, long-term community security plan. He says a lot of people don’t understand why he’s not actually doing their security, as in patrolling the parking lot or keeping an eye on things.
“I tell them, ‘I’m not here to do your security, I’m here for your security,’” he said. “I’m here to make the security the best it can be and make it easier to understand.”
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