The proactive Safe Indy Security Initiative launched in the Spring of 2020, just in time for the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite inherent challenges, the program went primarily virtual and still made remarkable progress toward helping secure the Indianapolis Jewish community and many Jewish organizations across the state of Indiana. The initiative accomplished these early gains through physical security risk assessments, awareness and preparedness training, security consultations, and community-wide information sharing.

This April, Secure Community Network (SCN) hired recently retired FBI Special Agent Bradley Swim to serve as the new Regional Security Advisor to the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis and the Safe Indy Security Initiative. Swim retired as the Training and Leadership Development program manager for the FBI’s Denver Field Office after a 25-year career. Most of his career was spent conducting or supervising Counterterrorism investigations and initiatives, including seven years leading Denver’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, overseeing all Domestic Terrorism matters across two states.

“The opportunity to join another service-oriented organization with a critical mission of proactive prevention was one I did not want to pass up and eagerly pursued,” Swim said, “and along with my years of experience in crisis response and domestic terrorism, including combating violent antisemitic ideologies, a security advisor role with SCN and the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis is a great fit.”

His focus since arriving has primarily been forging new relationships. “I quickly learned in the FBI that the scene of a crisis is not the place to be exchanging business cards and trying to figure out roles and responsibilities. The relationships and trust established in normalcy are critical to effective response in a crisis,” Swim said. “One of my goals is to be the conduit of clear communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement and emergency responders and Jewish community leaders on matters related to security. To do that, relationships are critical.”

In addition, Swim conducted situational awareness and countering active threat training sessions. Participants included the JCC Camp staff prior to the kickoff of camp and Hasten Hebrew Academy teachers and staff as part of their back-to-school training. Initial training sessions were also provided at Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation and Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, with more to come in the future.

Among the lessons learned from attacks on Jewish communities in Pittsburgh, Poway, and Colleyville, is the impact training has in preparing individuals to take action during a crisis. “My ultimate goal is to provide this critical training to every member of the Jewish community,” Swim said. "The more people who have received and can apply the concepts of this training, the more complete our collective awareness and preparation.” Help us reach this goal and contribute to the collective safety of our community by signing up for one of the upcoming Situational Awareness & Countering Active Threat trainings.

Swim works closely with Jeff Linkon, Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis' (JFGI) Director of Operations, who launched our community’s security initiative in 2018, forged an alliance with SCN, and created the Safe Indy Initiative in 2020, in partnership with local Jewish community agencies, synagogues, and other community organizations. Under Linkon’s guidance, JFGI received a $500,000 Live Secure grant from The Jewish Federations of North America to support efforts to take the program to the next level while positioning Safe Indiana (formerly Safe Indy) to serve Jewish communities statewide. “This funding will bring consistent training, physical security standards, emergency preparedness and crisis management support, communication, and information-sharing, to every Jewish community and organization that wishes to participate and benefit from a collective, collaborative approach”, Linkon said. “As incidents of assault, vandalism, and harassment targeting the Jewish community continue to rise, JFGI remains committed to ensuring our community has the resources to fight antisemitism and proactively safeguard our Jewish community.”