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“They’re Not Just Cowboys”: The Story of the RNSP
It’s late Friday afternoon and in the frenzy of Erev Shabbos prep, nobody notices that a two-year-old toddler is missing – until someone realizes that the front door is open and suddenly the sound of cars whizzing by outdoors is deafening.
It’s early Shabbos morning, and Zaydie, who is visiting from Brooklyn, says he can figure out the way to shul on his own. But an hour later, he’s still not there. And neighbors claim they saw him walking in the wrong direction.
When the S. family went to bed one summer night, they totally forgot that they had left a basement window open. In the morning, they wake up to a home that’s ransacked, with a significant amount of cash stolen. They soon discover that the screen to that window has been cut wide open.
An esteemed member of the community is donating a Sefer Torah to his beloved shul and a huge crowd is expected to attend the Hachnosas Sefer Torah ceremony. It’s a joyous event, to be sure, but it could also be the cause of a major traffic jam, creating a potential nightmare for impatient drivers who just want to get home.
All the above scenarios could have ended badly. Baruch Hashem, they didn’t. And while they might seem random and unrelated, they have one thing in common: they were all assisted by the selfless volunteers of RNSP, the Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol, who saved the day.
The RNSP, also known as the Shomrim, is dedicated to the safety and security of the community and provides emergency response 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Its 60 active members, all volunteers, serve as the neighborhood’s eyes and ears in times of need. The RNSP is involved in night patrols, rapid response, search and rescue missions, and also serves as a liaison to the NYPD and the Nassau police department. And while most residents of Far Rockaway and Nassau know them as the people to call when you’re in trouble, their efforts go way beyond their job description.
How It All Started
Sholem Klein seems like the typical guy who moved to Far Rockaway from Brooklyn about fifteen years ago for a change of pace. But Sholem is no ordinary guy. His father, the renowned R’ Motty Klein, was one of the original founders of the Shomrim organization in Williamsburg about 45 years ago. From a very young age, Sholem learned all about shortwave radios, midnight patrols, endless meetings with law enforcement, and search and rescue missions.
“I grew up,” says Sholem, “listening to the dispatcher taking calls in my living room.”
So when a spike in crime began to surface in the Far Rockaway area at about the time that Sholem moved in, community askanim and rabbinical leaders approached him with the idea of starting a local Shomrim organization.
“They knew I was involved with Shomrim in Brooklyn,” says Sholem, “and they asked me to start a neighborhood patrol.”
Sholem balked at first. He knew what a commitment to Shomrim means, and he understood that his involvement would significantly impact his family life.
“But I saw a real need,” he explains. “And they were urging me to do it.”
The local group started small, just a couple of guys patrolling the area to deter would-be criminals. “We didn’t even have radios then,” Sholem remembers. “We worked with the radios of other neighborhood Shomrim.”
But the need was great. Burglaries were on the rise, and car break-ins were occurring on a regular basis. Sholem and his fellow volunteers issued a hotline phone number, and the calls began coming in fast and furious.
Today, says Sholem – who is the coordinator of RNSP – the RNSP covers the largest area of any Shomrim organization, including Far Rockaway, the Five Towns, and surrounding communities as far away as Belle Harbor. Its sixty active members are available 24/7 and live or work in the area. And, oh yes, now they carry their own radios.
What Do They Do?
While the reflective vests and shortwave radios may look cool to the kids on the block, there’s nothing really glamorous about being woken up at 3:00 AM to trail a perp who just attempted to break into a house on a cold winter night.
“We’ve been very busy lately,” Sholem says. “Because of bail reform, criminals who should be locked up are now back on the streets.” This means they can be roaming around in residential areas, looking for easy access into an unwitting victim’s property.
Chasing criminals may seem like a dangerous hob-
by for a nice Jewish boy, but Sholem says that personal safety is a huge consideration for RNSP, and members are trained to keep themselves protected from all harm.
“We would never knowingly put our members in jeopardy,” he explains.
On the other hand, “it’s not like we’re sitting on the couch eating popcorn. If a house is on fire, we run in to help rescue the victims. If there are burglaries, we will chase down the attacker. But we do it smartly, and, of course, we rely on Hashem to keep us safe.”
RNSP works hand-in-hand with the local police and will generally call in law enforcement when they apprehend a suspect. This has led to a mutually respectful relationship between the Shomrim members and the police department.
“We also work well with the local fire department, with the DA’s office, and with the Coast Guard,” Sholem adds.
RNSP is involved in community patrol. When they know that a certain neighborhood is being targeted, they will patrol the area in unmarked cars, waiting for the criminals to make their move.
“We stay two blocks away and watch the guy. And when he commits a crime, we call the police and he gets arrested,” Sholem explains.
So You Want To Be a Member?
Membership applications for the RNSP can be downloaded online, and to be honest, the questions seem pretty simple. Prospective applicants need to provide some basic information about themselves and their driving record, and it seems like they’re good to go.
But, of course, it’s not that simple and Sholem is quick to point out that not everybody is cut out for membership in this club.
“We’ve had people sign up,” he says, “and a couple of weeks later they said, ‘Whoa, this is not for me.’ They couldn’t handle it.”
Once they’re accepted, new members are equipped with the basics: a jacket, flashlight, binoculars, and some emergency tools. They are also required to attend a monthly training program.
Aside from the training, members learn to rely on their intuition, which they acquire on the job. “Once you’re a member,” Sholem explains, “you develop a certain skill set. You learn how to distinguish between the real troublemakers and those who may look like shady characters but are, in reality, harmless. The ma’aleh is that we live in the community, and we know who is who and who belongs where.”
Still want to become a member? Consider the fact that members go to sleep at night with a set of clothes near their bed in case they get called out at 3:00 AM. Their wives need to be totally on board as well. “Otherwise,” says Sholem, “it’s just not going to work.” These women recognize that their husbands can run out the door at a moment’s notice and most of them have learned to accept that. “They feel that their husband’s mitzvah of chesed is bringing bracha
and nachas to the family,” Sholem says. “We come to this world to do good things.”
You don’t have to be a member to help the RNSP with their work, and you don’t need to wear a Shomrim jacket and carry a radio. Besides donating to their cause, which is always helpful, Sholem advises the community to cooperate with them in other ways for the greater good.
When a crime does occur, he says, it’s important to press charges. Shomrim members are frustrated when crime victims decide they don’t have the time or the inclination to go to court or file a report.
“The guy needs to get arrested,” Sholem points out. “Otherwise, he’ll come back and do it again and again.”
Some people worry about retribution. But the court system, says Sholem, was built to protect the victim. “It’s not like in the movies,” Sholem asserts. “If you are a victim of a crime and you were assisted by our members or by law enforcement, now it’s your turn to help the community and press charges”.
Reporting a crime or pressing charges helps the community in several ways. If criminal activity isn’t being reported, the police will assume that quality of life in the neighborhood is fine and redirect their resources elsewhere. Reaching out to the proper authorities makes them aware of the issues so they can be properly addressed.
Mesiras Nefesh
All RNSP members are selfless volunteers who walk away from their jobs or their families for the privilege of wearing a Shomrim jacket. Why do they sign up for this? Why not let the police deal with all the bad guys?
“We do this,” says Sholem, “because we know that we make a difference. Whether it’s because we’ve found a missing person or we apprehended a perp, people sleep better at night knowing that we are here. Look, there are ten thousand families in this commu-
nity and yes, some people look at us as a bunch of cool guys with jackets and radios. Until it hits their family. When they need us that’s when they change their minds.”
Rabbi Tzvi Flaum of Far Rockaway is a huge fan of the RNSP.
“They ask me shailos when certain situations come up,” he says, “They are concerned with doing everything al pi halacha. And I can tell you these people are full of mesiras nefesh. They do this seven days a week with such hislahavus, literally jeopardizing their time with their own mishpacha for the sake of the klal. They are putting their own lives on the line for the sake of others all l’shem Shomayim.”
Rabbi Flaum points out that the members create a huge kiddush Hashem, often serving the needs and building bridges between the many diverse communities in the area. “It causes tremendous Sholem,” he says. “And the police respect them tremendously.”
Pesach Osina, community leader, agrees.
“What’s unique about this community,” Pesach says, “is its diversity. Here in Rockaway/Nassau, the different nationalities and ethnic groups collaborate and work together. It’s a wonderful relationship, and the RNSP has been instrumental in creating this sense of harmony.”
Osina points out that while other neighborhoods may be plagued with unrest, there is a healthy dialogue between the various communities in this area which leads to a better understanding.
Standing on the Rooftops
Nine years after the superstorm that wreaked havoc on the community, people in the area still speak about Hurricane Sandy with a sense of terror. For the members of the RNSP, that memorable event challenged their skills more than any other. They worked around the clock and helped to save members of the community from disaster. “People were in tremendous sakanah,” Rabbi Flaum remembers. “RNSP was instrumental in saving lives.”
Not just lives, but also holy sifrei Torah which were tragically submerged.
“We rescued a total of nineteen sifrei Torah between the Five Towns and Rockaway,” Sholem says. “Unfortunately, we also arranged the levayas and buried them together with Chessed Shel Emes.”
Pesach Osina remembers the sense of chaos that ensued during the crisis.
“During Sandy,” he said, “the radios went down and communication between first responders and law enforcement was severely curtailed. Something had to be done. I remember the members of RNSP saved the day by climbing on the roof of the 101st Precinct and placing a repeater up there to create a signal so the radios could work. It illustrated the teamwork between police and Shomrim members and indicates the respect that they have for each other.
“These members are not vigilantes. They serve as the eyes and ears of local law enforcement.”
Rabbi Flaum indicates that there’s much more to the RNSP than meets the eye. Aside from their obvious service to the community, they are involved with organizations that bring physically challenged children on trips to enhance their simchas hachayim.
“I’m amazed at these guys,” he says. “They are not just cowboys. They have incredible talents and knowledge. And they’re making a tremendous kiddush Hashem.”
RNSP can be reached 24/7 at 516-858-7300.
