Did Shomrim Really Call Police?

Mrs. Kletzky contacted the Brooklyn South Shomrim Safety Patrol at 6:14 p.m. Monday, and they began searching for her son, Leiby. Eventually, the Brooklyn South Shomrim called for assistance—from the Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol. Jacob Daskal, coordinator for the Brooklyn South Shomrim, said the group reported Leiby's disappearance to the NYPD around 8:30 p.m. on Monday. Police officials could not confirm that account but said the first 911 call about the missing boy was from his father, at 8:30 pm.

 

Civilian Patrol, Not Police, Was Family's First Call
SEAN GARDINER AND ALISON FOX • Wall Street Journal

About 45 minutes after her 8-year-old son failed to show up at a book store where he was supposed to meet his family, Esther Kletzky called the local authorities.

In most neighborhoods, that would mean dialing the police.

But for many in Brooklyn, like Ms. Kletzky and others in Orthodox Jewish communities, that first call for help is often to the local civilian patrol.

Ms. Kletzky contacted the Brooklyn South Shomrim Safety Patrol at 6:14 p.m. Monday, and they began searching for her son, Leiby. Eventually, the Brooklyn South Shomrim called for assistance—from the Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol.

The boy's father, Nachman Kletzsky, did not contact the New York Police Department until 8:30 p.m., nearly three hours after Leiby left a day camp by himself, got lost and, police said, encountered the man who would abduct and murder him.

Leiby's remains were found early Wednesday; 35-year-old Levi Aron, who did not know the boy, was charged in his murder. On Friday, a note was posted outside the Kletzkys' Borough Park home thanking "all from around the world, who had us in their thoughts and prayers."

Asked this week if the delay in calling police might have made a difference in finding the boy earlier, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "in this particular case, I don't see anything that could have been done with a quicker notification."

Still, Mr. Kelly said, "make no mistake about it: We want to be notified right away. We don't think it's a good idea to lag in notification to the police."

The case—which has garnered worldwide attention—represents one of the more stark examples of the complicated push-pull between the NYPD and the city's four shomrim safety patrols.

The first shomrim, a word derived from the Hebrew word for "guard," was established in Brooklyn in the early 1980s. There are also patrols in Williamsburg and Crown Heights.

Leaders say the volunteer groups act as extra sets of eyes and ears for the NYPD, and sometimes more. Last month, the Williamsburg shomrim followed a man suspected of attacking a rabbi and held him for police. In April, volunteers from the Flatbush shomrim followed an armed robbery suspect and called police.

There is, however, suspicion among NYPD ranks that the patrols do not report every crime to police in an attempt, some officials believe, to protect members of their own community.

There have been allegations of shomrim volunteers using excessive force, especially with outsiders. Crown Heights Shomrim member Josef Prus was convicted of assault charges in a 1996 incident in which he repeatedly hit a man over the head with his walkie-talkie after the man was subdued.

"We are businessmen, we're husbands, we're fathers, we're grandfathers," said Bob Moscovitz, the coordinator of the Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol. "We're not vigilantes. We're out there taking care of our community."

Jacob Daskal, coordinator for the Brooklyn South Shomrim, said the group reported Leiby's disappearance to the NYPD around 8:30 p.m. on Monday. Police officials could not confirm that account Friday but said the first 911 call about the missing boy was from his father.

"It wouldn't have mattered," said Mr. Daskal, who founded the patrol 26 years ago. "And the police wouldn't have come right away."

Mr. Kelly acknowledged the delicate relationship this week when he said delays in notifying police "is a long-standing issue" with the shomrim.

He quickly added, "but we also understand that certain members of the community have confidence in shomrim and they go to them first. We'd like them [shomrim] to also come to us when they receive reports of crime and certainly missing children and that sort of thing."

Some of the shomrim have patrol cars that look like NYPD cars, complete with the agency's CPR—Courtesy, Professionalism and Respect—emblem on the side. But most of the members are unpaid volunteers who often use their own vehicles to patrol. Mr. Daskal said volunteers are thoroughly vetted, and fingerprints are sent to the NYPD to check for criminal records.

"We are not affiliated," Mr. Moscovitz said. "We all serve the communities, but we all have our own protocols. We all do our own things."

However, when it comes to a high-profile cases, the shomrim often combine forces.

The Flatbush shomrim has what Mr. Moscovitz called a "state-of-the-art" command center with fax machines, computers and printer and gets pressed into service at many emergencies in Orthodox Jewish communities in the other parts of the city and upstate, he said.

Mr. Moscovitz and Mr. Daskal said that when they receive a report of an obvious crime or serious incident, they call police immediately.

"I would prefer they call 911 first," Mr. Daskal said. "We are not the police. We can be their eyes and ears and help them out, but we are not the police."

In the case of Leiby's disappearance, thousands of volunteers swept his neighborhood nearly non-stop for almost two days.

Because the shomrim answer every call and respond quickly, and because they are comprised of members of the tight-knit neighborhoods, they've gained trust.

"They [NYPD] are doing a great job…but if they see a suspicious person they can't follow them for four or five hours like we do," Mr. Daskal said.

Rachel, a 38-year-old Borough Park woman who would not provide her last name, said when the shomrim patrol is called, "they come flying. They'll get the guy, and they'll hold him until police come."

Abe Moskowitz of Borough Park, said this winter, when he called the safety patrol and police about vandals, only the shomrim showed up. "Sometimes the police ignore you," he said. "I called the shomrim and they got there right away."

Mr. Moscovitz, of the Flatbush safety patrol, said Leiby's disappearance and murder is not likely to change accepted protocols in their communities.

"People will call the police department when they feel comfortable calling the police department and will call us when they feel comfortable calling us," he said.

Comments

[netflix]

they should all be arrested for being accomplices to murder.

[Morris the Katz]

Shomrin does a good job when they act as the "eyes and ears" of the community, just as the Guardian Angels do.

When they start acting as vigilantes, which occasionally happens, as it did not that long ago in Baltimore, they're not doing a good job.

In this case, it's tough to fault Shomrim. Little Lieby was taken out of the community to Kensington.

The best answer I can give is to make sure kids have cell phones so they know where they're going, and to make them more street-smart. My friends and I started walking to school by ourselves at age 6 and this was in a lousy neighborhood, at least the school was. It's even worse now than it was in the mid 1950's. During my time in the 2nd grade, we moved to Queens, where the schools were better.

We were all pretty street-smart, and the main concern my parents had was about traffic, not molesters.

[seymour]

Posted by: Morris the Katz | July 16, 2011 at 09:58 PM

we do not know that.

it could be if called right away there would have police looking for the boy.

this is not to say that it would have mattered but maybe it would have and a tragic event could have been averted

Mr. Moscovitz, of the Flatbush safety patrol, said Leiby's disappearance and murder is not likely to change accepted protocols in their communities.

"People will call the police department when they feel comfortable calling the police department and will call us when they feel comfortable calling us," he said.

that is shameful but expected, facts never get in the way of the frum.

If this does not wake them up then nothing will.
They have no one tho blame the next time but themselves

[miracalism]

First of all had they just called the police, without any evidence of foul play I doubt the police would have mobilized thousands of people to search for him in such a short time.A missing child for two hours does not get the highest priority, for shomrim it does.

[Betzalel]

Shomrim is the way things should be for every community - people taking care of themselves and not depending on the government.

It's the American spirit.

[OMG]

Posted by: Betzalel | July 16, 2011 at 11:00 PM

Are you out of your fricking mind?

[Pleaaase]

Yep the Police would have helped.
According to the Press it was a chassidishe man who cracked the case two yeshiva bochrim who found the car.
Yet the problem ma have been that the police were not notified.
Oh and according to all accounts this is one of the safest cities in NYC.
Still idiots think they should change the saftey protocols.
Kudos to Shomrim for making Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods some of the safest in America.

[seymour]

Still idiots think they should change the saftey protocols.
Kudos to Shomrim for making Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods some of the safest in America.

Posted by: Pleaaase | July 16, 2011 at 11:30 PM

yes one of the safest for molesters

you are 100% correct

I guess that the whole NYC is the safest big city in the USA is also the credit of shomrin

also remember crimes by frum people are not reported so statistics are worthless.

and anyway you are an idiot

no one is saying the shomrin did not do a great job but the police have many resources that shomrin do not have and it could have made a difference.

but again the believe that the frum are superior to everybody else trumps the safety of your very own children

[Jewish Prince]

a textbook case how NOT to run a search operation.

[Graham]

>it could be if called right away there would have police looking for the boy.

The police won't come looking for a boy who's been gone for 2 hours. How can they? Happens hundreds of times every day.

[Elisheva]

You don't have two hours when a child is missing. Mere minutes could mean the difference between life and death. I don't blame the parents for what happened here, but for the shomrim to wait two hours before alerting the police to a missing child is criminally reckless.

[seymour]

The police won't come looking for a boy who's been gone for 2 hours. How can they? Happens hundreds of times every day.

Posted by: Graham | July 17, 2011 at 12:07 AM

not a full fledged search

but announced for a look out. and of course if previous cases would have been reported maybe a knock on the door

[Nigritude Ultramarine]

The Flatbush shomrim has what Mr. Moscovitz called a "state-of-the-art" command center with fax machines, computers and printer....

Impressive! Batman's utility doesn't belt have all that. I know who I'm calling when I need help. But I think they should ask Batman for some Bat Marbles and Bat first aid kit.

[Shmarya]

The police won't come looking for a boy who's been gone for 2 hours. How can they? Happens hundreds of times every day.

Posted by: Graham | July 17, 2011 at 12:07 AM

Actually, the NYPD does start looking immediately. It's been their policy for years.

[Nigritude Ultramarine]

"They [NYPD] are doing a great job…but if they see a suspicious person they can't follow them for four or five hours like we do," Mr. Daskal said.

You're doing it wrong, you need to use a Bat-Tracer. Make sure you add that to your wish list.

[Barry]

The reason that Shomrim held back from calling the police for a couple of hours seems obvious.

They assumed that the child had simply got lost not abducted. This was a fair assumption to make since this was the first day he had attended camp. This reflected badly on the parents and more importantly on the camp who should not released such a young child on his own and Shomrim would if possible wish to keep that fact from the authorities as the Ultraorthodox are very sensitive to any suggestion of child neglect which may involve uncomfortable questions being asked by the authorities. A lost eight year old could not wander very far and Shomrim were confident he would be found in a short time.

It was only after being unable to locate the child that Shomrim began to fear that the child may have been abducted by whom they assumed would in all likelihood be a non-Jew. They then informed the police.

[Graham]

>Actually, the NYPD does start looking immediately. It's been their policy for years.

Really? So they investigate every nervous mommy's complaint when her kid doesn't show up for 20 minutes? I don't believe it. If you can show with an actual source that they do, then fine. But it really doesn't make sense that they will start looking for a kid who is reported missing for two hours. How can they possibly have the resources for that? We both know that more than 99% of the time a kid who doesn't show up for 2 hours is not missing, just late or rule-breaking. It's one of those things kids do to give their parents gray hair.

[AlwaysActions]

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