“My goal is to foster a continuously improving safety and security culture within the greater Indianapolis Jewish community.”
- Grant Mendenhall,
Community Security Director

The sharp rise in hate crimes and antisemitic attacks and rhetoric throughout the world, coupled with the current COVID-19 pandemic has left the Jewish community with grave concerns about individual and community safety. The increase in antisemitism has led the community to once again reassess the needs and financial investment in security across the Jewish community. The Jewish Federation, synagogues and agencies are focused on a proactive approach that takes into account local institutions’ diverse interests and organizational missions. With this in mind, the ultimate goal of the Safe Indy Security Initiative is to support an ever-improving culture of safety and security across the Jewish community, through awareness, target hardening, training, and law enforcement partnerships.
Serving the Jewish community and its agencies in the greater Indianapolis area, Community Security Director Grant Mendenhall began his tenure in April 2020 by creating a formal community-wide security structure. This includes a strategic Crisis Management Team that will manage any significant crisis event impacting the Jewish community, and a Community Security Committee, consisting of representatives of various Jewish agencies, that serves as a coordination hub for information sharing and training. To facilitate community engagement and education, Grant recently launched the ‘Safe Indy Security Initiative’ website, which includes security resources and an incident reporting portal for community-wide use.
Since his arrival, Grant has engaged with law enforcement partners on various issues, including cybersecurity and suspicious persons, and he continues to lead the inter-agency working group focused on the safe and secure resumption of operations at the Max and Mae Simon Jewish Community Campus. Additionally, Grant has recorded more than 80 engagements with members of the Jewish community and its leadership on various topics, including security consultations and assessments, security incidents, planning and preparedness, and training.
Grant’s focus through the summer and fall will be on delivering security trainings throughout the community and completing formal security assessments at a number of community facilities.