Senior Police Academy Class of 2016 On Wednesday, September 14, the 2016 graduating class of the Beachwood Police Department Senior Police Academy gathered for its graduation luncheon at the Beachwood Community Center. This informative program, led by Lt. Thomas Wetzel, addresses real-life crime-prevention tips and topics pertaining to today’s cares and concerns. Attendees received training to include some“hands on”experience, with the help of instructors, on techniques such as: self-defense, CPR, personal safety, and how not to become a victim of crime, particularly involving frauds, identity theft, and other scams aimed at older adults. Because of the working relationship that the Beachwood Police Department has with the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Oren Baratz, the Federation’s senior vice president of external affairs, was invited to the event as the keynote speaker. He was accompanied by Jim Harnett, the organization’s director of community-wide security, who is very active in the northeast Ohio security arena. During his presentation, Mr. Baratz spoke about how the Federation has stepped up security in schools, synagogues and at events to protect the Jewish population from increasing threats of terrorism. Since 2012, the Federation’s security costs have increased dramatically to better secure the Jewish community. Plans are now underway to further optimize security in the upcoming year. According to Baratz, there are four security principles that need to be addressed: • Changing the culture of security to insure that community members understand their roles. • Creation of a safer environment. • Training people how to instinctively react under stress. • The importance of partnerships between the Federation, police departments and S.W.A.T. Teams. Mayor Merle S. Gorden echoed how the city’s partnership with the Federation works effectively because of open lines of communication. He also shared his gratitude for the Federation’s support, not only for securing the schools and temples, but for also helping protect the community, if needed. “We are fortunate to have good partnerships and great residents who support what we do with our tax dollars,” Gorden said. Lt. Wetzel then delivered a strong message tied to fraud. “We warn people, especially seniors, to be super cautious about phone and Internet scams,” he said. “This is a growing crime trend. Remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it’s very likely a scam.” Just days before this event, a 91-year-old Beachwood woman lost more than $14,000 in a scam involving fake lottery winnings. Lt. Thomas Wetzel and Oren Baratz. An unknown man called to tell her she won $750,000 in a lottery and asked her to send more than $14,000 to pay taxes on the winnings. The woman used MoneyGram to transfer money to an address in Jamaica and didn’t realize she was scammed until her daughter learned of the payments and reported them to the police. Consumers should be wary of such scams, particularly those involving the transfer of money via services such as MoneyGram or Western Union. Lt. Wetzel then shared cards created by Hilltop 3rd graders for “Experience the Difference…. The Difference is Experience.” “From my home to yours, I wish you a Happy and Sweet New Year.” Sharon Friedman Broker Associate, GRI, CRS, Realtor® Luxury Collection℠ Specialist Sell Phone: 216.338.3233 Voice Mail: 216.999.2064 Email: sfriedman@bhhspro.com www.sharonfriedmanhomes.com Call me for a complimentary evaluation. Senior Transition Specialist 20 Beachwood Buzz n October 2016