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John Murtaugh hired as Florida’s west coast security advisor
Courtesy of Secure Community Network
The Secure Community Network (SCN), the official safety and security organization for the Jewish community in North America, announced the hiring of John Murtagh as the Regional Security Advisor for Florida’s west coast. Murtagh will serve as the official security liaison for Jewish Federation of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Jewish Federation of Lee & Charlotte Counties, and Jewish Federation of Greater Naples.
“We are fortunate to have John Murtagh join SCN as the Regional Security Advisor for Florida’s west coast. With over two decades of service with the NYPD, including more than half of that time as a detective in the Intelligence Bureau, along with his field experience with the Marine Corps Reserve and the Navy Reserve, John will be a tremendous asset to our efforts to protect the Jewish communities in this area. His expertise will strengthen our ability to reinforce Florida's west coast’s safety, security and resiliency,” said SCN National Director and CEO Michael Masters.
In this role, Murtagh will report to Alan Poland, SCN’s Florida Regional Security Director, and oversee the safety and security of approximately 56,000 Jewish residents and more than 30 distinct facilities across these federation domains, including St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Naples, Marco Island, Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Cape Coral and Estero. Additionally, he will administer each federation’s community security programs, providing consultations, building and organizational assessments, training and drills, threat mitigation for Jewish organizations, and response coordination for critical incidents.
Prior to joining SCN, Murtagh served 23 years with the New York City Police Department (NYPD), 13 of which were spent as a detective in the Intelligence Bureau. Additionally, Murtagh served 12 years in both the United States Marine Corps Reserve and the Navy Reserve. In 2006, he deployed overseas to Iraq, supporting intelligence collection operations with the Office of Naval Intelligence.
“I am honored to join SCN and to serve the Jewish communities along Florida’s west coast,” said Murtagh, SCN’s Florida West Coast Regional Security Advisor.
“This region is home to vibrant and deeply rooted Jewish communities, and I am committed to helping reinforce their safety and security as we continue to build strong community resilience. I look forward to working with local partners and law enforcement to ensure our communities are well equipped to manage an evolving threat landscape, always with an eye toward preparedness, communication and best practice safety protocols.”
Murtagh holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from St. John’s University and a Master of Public Administration from Marist College. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Professional Studies in Homeland Security from St. John’s University and holds a Certified Protection Professional certification from ASIS International.
“John Murtagh brings a wealth of experience which will undoubtedly elevate our security efforts and safety culture. We look forward to benefiting from his knowledge and leadership as we continue to build a safer and stronger community,” said Maxine Kaufman, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Florida’s Gulf Coast.
“John Murtagh is familiar with our community and has the perfect background for this role, and we look forward to working with him and introducing him to the Jewish organizations he will advise in Lee and Charlotte Counties,” said Debbie Sanford, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties.
“We are very excited that John Murtagh is becoming our Regional Security Advisor and look forward to John’s ability to improve all of the security for our Federation and our Jewish community,” said Jeffrey Feld, President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples.
This hiring was made possible by SCN, local donors, community partners and national donors through the LiveSecure campaign. The Jewish Federations of North America’s $130 million LiveSecure campaign is the largest philanthropic initiative in history to establish a standards-based, collective security framework for every Jewish community across North America. Jewish Federation of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties, and Jewish Federation of Greater Naples are part of a growing network of Jewish Federations and communities that have partnered with SCN to launch or build upon existing community-wide security programs designed around an “all threats, all hazards” approach to preparedness, safety, security and resiliency. Each program is connected to SCN’s national operations, providing direct access to SCN’s National Jewish Security Operations Command Center and Duty Desk, as well as best practice security resources and support related to policies, procedures, physical security, facility assessments, training and incident response.
About SCN
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, SCN is the official safety and security organization of the Jewish community in North America. Founded in 2004 under the auspices of The Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, SCN serves as the central organization dedicated exclusively to the safety and security of the American Jewish community, working across 146 federations, 50 partner organizations, over 300 independent communities, and other partners in the public, private, nonprofit and academic sectors. SCN is dedicated to ensuring that Jewish life and culture flourish. Learn more at securecommunitynetwork.org.
