Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati Outlines Security Measures

March 10, 2017

In response to the recent vandalism in Jewish cemeteries in St. Louis, Philadelphia and Rochester, JCGC is working with the police and SAFE Cincinnati and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), both a part of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, to take preventative measures to maintain safety in our cemeteries and to keep them free of vandalism. We have asked all of the Police Departments that cover the areas in which our cemeteries are located to increase their patrols, which they have been doing since these incidents of vandalism were first reported. They have also been parking their police cars in our cemeteries more frequently, doing paperwork, eating lunch, etc. The bottom line is surveillance has been increased.

SAFE Cincinnati did a thorough analysis of JCGC’s safety measures in 2013. We implemented many of their recommendations. We installed cameras at our Walnut Hills location. We installed No Trespassing signs and posted cemetery hours in all our cemeteries. We had previously installed lights at our Covedale cemeteries and at our two largest cemeteries on the east side of Sunset Avenue in Price Hill (Love Brothers and Adath Israel). We also have a caretaker living on the cemetery property on the west side of Sunset Avenue, as well as at our new cemetery in Loveland. In both cases, they provide on – site security.

We are currently evaluating additional security measures with SAFE Cincinnati, including motion – activated lights and motion – activated cameras, as well as additional signage indicating that the cemeter(ies) are under video surveillance. We are also working with JCRC to develop a community response plan should we become the victim of vandalism.

While we have experienced a small amount of vandalism over the years, we have had no incidents in the last five – six years. What we have experienced has been minor and probably done by kids. Nevertheless, circumstances are different today, and we must remain vigilant. If you see suspicious activity in any of our cemeteries, please report it to law enforcement and let us know as well at 513-961-0178 or info@jcemcin.org.