18 | JULY 6 • 2023 

T

he Jewish Federation of Greater Ann 
Arbor announces a new partnership 
with Jewish Community Security 
Inc. (JCSI) of Metro Detroit to hire the Ann 
Arbor area’s first Jewish community security 
manager. This new position is made possible 
by a grant from the LiveSecure initiative, 
which is a collaboration between the Jewish 
Federations of North America (JFNA) and 
the national Secure Community Network 
(SCN).
The new role is designed to significantly 
increase safety and security for all those who 
participate in Jewish life in the Ann Arbor 
area. The community security manager 
will establish a system of coordination and 
communication among local Jewish orga-
nizations for security issues, special events 
and training needs. This role will also assist 
agencies with developing individualized 
emergency procedures and will serve as a 
liaison to local, state and federal law enforce-
ment partners.
“We have been working to raise our secu-
rity efforts to a more professional level in 
line with industry standards,
” says David 
Nacht, the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann 
Arbor’s Security Committee chair. “This col-
laboration allows us to do exactly that.
”
Public safety expert and law enforcement 
veteran Shane Dennis began as Ann Arbor’s 
inaugural community security manager in 
June. His most recent work is at JCSI, where 
he joined the team in March 2022. At JCSI, 
Dennis served as security coordinator for 
both the Yeshiva Beth Yehudah Boys School 
in Southfield and its girls’ school in Oak 
Park. He has also worked as a security coor-
dinator at Camp Tamarack.
Dennis will continue to be employed by 
JCSI as Ann Arbor’s community security 
manager, thanks to the new partnership 
between JCSI and the Jewish Federations 
of Greater Ann Arbor and of Metropolitan 
Detroit.
“This is a partnership we have discussed 
for many years,
” says Gary Sikorski, JCSI’s 
director of community-wide security for 

Metro Detroit. “We have always 
had a strong relationship with 
the Ann Arbor Jewish community. 
The formation of Jewish Community 
Security Inc., and the timing of the 
LiveSecure grant, allowed our partnership to 
become a reality.
”
In spring 2022, JCSI spun off from the 
Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit (JFMD) 
to become a standalone security organiza-
tion. The program has grown from just one 
person in 2006 to 15 as of last 
year. The new collaboration 
with Ann Arbor represents a 
further expansion of the organi-
zation’s impact.
“This collaboration serves as 
a force multiplier for both the 
Detroit and Ann Arbor Jewish 
communities. We could not have a better 
security manager in place than Shane, to 
establish and lead community security in 
Ann Arbor,
” Sikorski says.
Through this partnership, JCSI and 
JFMD will provide guidance and support to 
develop and implement a collective security 
framework for greater Ann Arbor. These 
efforts will be complemented by national 
support and matching funds from JFNA and 
SCN via the LiveSecure initiative.
“JFMD welcomes JCSI’s expansion to 
include the Ann Arbor community,
” says 
Steven Ingber, JFMD’s CEO. “This partner-
ship will provide important 
communal security resources 
and will increase collaboration 
at a time of need. For many 
years, our Federation’s secu-
rity program — now JCSI — 
offered expertise and guidance 
to Jewish communities across 
the state. JCSI’s partnership with the Jewish 
Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, thanks in 
large part to LiveSecure funding, is a pru-
dent next step in this important work.
” 
Eileen Freed, executive director of the 
Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, 
says, “Our local Federation is excited to work 

with JCSI and JFMD to welcome Shane 
to our team. As the U.S. faces increases in 
antisemitic threats and incidents, Jewish 
communal security has never been more 
important. Shane’s more than a quarter-cen-
tury of experience and knowl-
edge of safety and security 
issues in our community will 
be instrumental in implement-
ing the security program our 
community deserves based on 
best practices in the field.
”
Prior to joining JCSI, Dennis 
was a police officer for the city of Ann Arbor 
for 25 years. During that time, he held var-
ious positions, including patrol officer, nar-
cotics detective, patrol sergeant and detective 
sergeant. Dennis was also a member of the 
Washtenaw Metro SWAT Team for 18 years, 
including two years as commander respon-
sible for coordinating with law enforcement 
agencies across the county. Shane has a mas-
ter’s degree in homeland security and emer-
gency management from Eastern Michigan 
University and a bachelor’s degree in crim-
inal justice from Michigan State University. 
Shane and his wife, Keri, have an 11-month-
old daughter Emma and a 
20-year-old son Caleb.
Jessica ‘Decky’ Alexander, 
board president of the Jewish 
Federation of Greater Ann 
Arbor, agrees that the new 
partnership is crucial at this 
time. “The need to invest in a 
coordinated effort around safe-
ty and security for the Jewish community is 
our social reality,
” she says. “We are just safer 
when we work together.
” 

Rachel Wall is communications and development 

manager at the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor.

OUR COMMUNITY

Eileen 
Freed

RACHEL WALL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Jessica 
‘Decky’ 
Alexander

Steven 
Ingber

Gary 
Sikorski

Shane 
Dennis

Ann Arbor’s New Jewish 
Community Security Manager

