This week we are spotlighting the members of law enforcement that will be honored at the Summer Celebration golf tournament at Transit Valley Country Club.  On Monday, August 5, 125 golfers will gather to enjoy an afternoon of golf, 18 others will participate in a unique bus tour of the Olmsted Park system, and over 200 will assemble for dinner, all to raise critical funds to support Buffalo Jewish Federation’s security efforts.

At the dinner, we will be honoring the Buffalo Police Department and Amherst Department for their abundant support of the Jewish community, going above and beyond the call of duty. Relationships with our law enforcement partners have always been critical. Since October 7, they have become even more central to helping keep Jewish people and Institutions safe. We are thrilled that Buffalo Police Chief of Investigative Services William Macy and Amherst Police Senior Investigator Brian Kern will be accepting awards on behalf of each of their departments.

When we initiated Secure Jewish Buffalo 5 years ago, Susan DeMari became our first Director of Community Security with an established background of expertise in collaborating with law enforcement on behalf of the Jewish community.  In partnership with Bob Gardner, the (then) Senior Investigator for the New York State Police Counterterrorism Intelligence Unit, a collaborative effort with all levels of law enforcement evolved to create a solid protocol of networking and intelligence sharing.   On Monday evening, we will also be acknowledging Bob’s retirement from the New York State Police and welcoming him to his new position as a Protective Security Advisor with the Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. We are incredibly thankful for Bob’s extraordinary contributions with helping us build and maintain a comprehensive security plan to ensure the safety of Jewish Buffalo.