Col. Tim Brooks will advise, direct, and launch the Community Security
Program for the Greater Harrisburg and Lehigh Valley
Jewish Communities
The Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, and the Secure Community Network (SCN), the official safety and security organization for the Jewish community in North America, has announced the hiring of Col. Tim Brooks as Regional Security Advisor. Col. Brooks will direct and launch a new security program that will cover the Jewish communities in Greater Harrisburg and the Lehigh Valley. This joint program is designed to increase safety and security for all who participate in synagogues, day schools, camps, service organizations, and other centers of Jewish life across the region.
“The Greater Harrisburg Jewish community will benefit in so many ways from this partnership with SCN and Lehigh Valley and are looking forward to the expertise Col. Brooks will bring to the security plans for our new Grass Campus and to all of our Jewish community institutions,” said David Cohen, the new President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg. “As we learned from Colleyville, the training provided by SCN and their security advisors has tangible results, saves lives, and allows us to plan proactively for the risks the Jewish community faces on an all too regular basis.”
Col. Brooks will launch and oversee SCN`s partnered security program with these Federations. The program is designed around an “all threats, all hazards” approach to preparedness, safety, security, and resiliency. The program is connected to SCN’s national operations, providing direct access to SCN’s National Jewish Security Operations Command Center and Duty Desk, as well as best practice security resources and support related to policies, procedures, physical security, facility assessments, training, and incident response.
“SCN is excited to partner with the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley and the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg to help increase the safety and security of their communities,” said Michael Masters, National Director and CEO of SCN. “The hiring of Col. Tim Brooks to lead this security initiative will help advance our mission of ensuring the safety, security, and resiliency of all Jewish communities.”
“The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley is thrilled to be in partnership with SCN and formally welcome Col. Brooks to our team,” said Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley Executive Director Jeri Zimmerman. “As America faces dramatic increases in antisemitic threats and incidents, Jewish communal security has never been more important. Tim has extensive experience and knowledge of safety and security issues, making him an enormous asset to our community.”
The Greater Harrisburg and Lehigh Valley joint security initiative is being made possible through professional support from the Federations and SCN; funding through the collaborative efforts of Federation local donors; community partner organizations; and national donor support from LiveSecure, the historic partnership between The Jewish Federations of North America and SCN to fund and create a collective security framework for every Jewish community across North America.
"In our journey to ensure that every Jewish community has a strong security initiative necessary for flourishing Jewish life, we're thrilled to see that Lehigh Valley and Harrisburg are taking steps to grow their security programs. I look forward to working with the community to raise the necessary matching funds as it continues on its journey to secure the Jewish community,” said Jewish Federations of North America Chair Julie Platt.
Prior to joining SCN, Col. Brooks spent over thirty-five years in the military and in law enforcement. Col. Brooks began his military career as an enlisted soldier in the 402nd Military Police Company, and throughout his military career held positions such as Commander and Battle Captain for Base Operations in Afghanistan, Deputy Support Operations Officer in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and is currently the Chief of the Joint Staff, Joint Forces Headquarters for the Pennsylvania National Guard.
He has been the recipient of numerous military awards, such as the Legion of Merit medal and the Bronze Star Medal.
Col. Books also spent 20 years as a civilian police officer with the City of Bethlehem Police Department, before he retired in 2014.
“It is an honor for me to work with SCN and use my experience to contribute to the safety and security of all the Jewish communities under my jurisdiction,” said Col. Brooks. “I look forward to this partnership and building a strong security program here and helping these Jewish communities thrive.”