Wikipedia
The NYPD Shomrim Society is a fraternal organization of Jewish members of the New York City Police Department.
Shomrim is a Hebrew word meaning "watchers" or "guards" and may refer to:
- Shomrim (volunteers), Orthodox Jewish civilian volunteer patrols
- Shomrim (fraternal police organization), an organization of Jewish members of the New York City Police Department and/or subsequently formed chapters chartered under the National Conference of Shomrim Societies.
- Shomer, a custodian in Jewish law, singular of shomrim
- Shemira, the Jewish custom of watching over a dead body before burial; watchers are known as shomrim
- Members of the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement
Shomrim (lit. "watchers", "guards", "protection") are organizations of proactive volunteer Jewish civilian patrols which have been set up in Haredi communities in neighborhoods across the United States and Britain (and in many other countries) to combat burglary, vandalism, mugging, assault, domestic violence, nuisance crimes, antisemitic attacks, and to help and support victims of crime. They also help locate missing people.
Shomrim volunteers are unarmed and do not have the authority to make arrests, other than citizen's arrest. They are effective in tracking and detaining suspects until police arrive. Occasionally some Shomrim members in the USA have been cited for using excessive force against suspects, particularly those from outside their community.
In Brooklyn, Baltimore, and London many residents call Shomrim prior to the police due to the former's faster response time. However, the volunteer patrol in New York has been criticized by the New York City Police Department for not always notifying police when a call comes in. In London however, the Hackney Police Borough Commander Chief Superintendent Matthew Horne complimented Shomrim on this point, saying that "they will generally know when is the time to call us. They don't tend to waste our time and they don't let people go". Additionally, Brooklyn Shomrim organizers have been accused of withholding information on suspected child molesters and other Jewish criminals, in keeping with an interpretation of the Torah prohibition against mesirah (informing on a fellow Jew to the non-Jewish authorities).
Shomrim have on many occasions received awards and commendations from the police for their work.
Many Shomrim organizations organise an annual Community Engagement Event, with advice on crime prevention and bike registration.
In 2013 two members of Shomrim brutally and illegally attacked a student in south Williamsburg. While beating him the two men yelled homophobic slurs. The victim of the beating remains blind in his left eye.