We have seen the scooters zipping around day and night, and for the first time ever Crown Heights Shomrim Division is putting a fully marked patrol car on the road. Donated by Aron & Mirit Hershkop of Everything Automotive this is the first of two cars that have been donated, in memory of Ephraim Klein HY”D who was murdered on the streets of Crown Heights. The second car is due to hit the streets next month.

The idea behind the marked patrol car is with ‘crime prevention’ in mind. Every night there are one or two Shomrim members patrolling in their private cars keeping a watchful eye on the neighborhood, while this is good for an immediate response to call's and to spot the crime as it happens, it is not as affective for preventing crime.

More pictures in the Extended Article!

Shomrim Put Out First Marked Patrol Car

We have seen the scooters zipping around day and night, and for the first time ever Crown Heights Shomrim Division is putting a fully marked patrol car on the road. Donated by Aron & Mirit Hershkop of Everything Automotive this is the first of two cars that have been donated, in memory of Ephraim Klein HY”D who was murdered on the streets of Crown Heights. The second car is due to hit the streets next month.

The idea behind the marked patrol car is with ‘crime prevention’ in mind. Every night there are one or two Shomrim members patrolling in their private cars keeping a watchful eye on the neighborhood, while this is good for an immediate response to call’s and to spot the crime as it happens, it is not as affective for preventing crime.

More pictures in the Extended Article!

Unlike the scooters, the patrol car is a passenger vehicle and residents who are willing to help and spend some of their time to improve the security of our neighborhood, can volunteer and ride along with other Shomrim Members. If you are interested, contact a member you know for more information.

Aron told CrownHeights.info that if this project works a third and fourth patrol car will be donated and placed in service as well.

Crown Heights is our neighborhood. Together we WILL make a difference.

Aron Hershkop standing next to the new patrol car

56 Comments

  • Make way

    I gotto get me one of those.

    Very nice, keep up the good work.

    Be the light in the darkness.

  • go shomrim!

    it’s soooo nice to see that B"H noONE wrote annnny NEGATIVE comments! this is like one in a million! keep it up!

  • Reuven

    I hope this car patrols in the highest crime hours, and around the President Street corridor where there is so much crime.

  • Shmuli

    well done!!!

    to the sponser: I have a tremendous respect for you. I am speechless.

    May G-d blees you with only the very best.

    – if even one life is saved because of these patrol cars, it is as though you have saved the entire world, and we all know that we are deeling with life and death situations. I remember it like yesterday; Yankel Klein hy"d liying dead in the street. –

    you’re amazing!!

  • thank you

    Finally something good and positive in our community! May the Hershkop family and the entire Shomrim see only good things!

  • Mendy

    Very good! Yasher koach!

    I wonder what the cops think about a vehicle blatantly designed to mimic a cop car–but the idea here is not to confuse the cops or make non-cops feel like cops. The idea here is to confuse and frighten criminals. Let them think gezunter heit that it’s the police–if they’re running around committing crimes, they’re probably too stupid anyways to tell the difference.

  • Sara

    Thank you to the Hershkops for their very generous donation. IY”H these cars will help reduce the crime in the CH community.

  • Eliezer

    Shomrim (webby included) keep up your freat work!
    Thank You Hershkops!
    doing something good from a bad situation.
    may this year be a good safe year for all!

  • Rivi

    oh wow!!!!

    thats really nice of those ppl!!!!!

    now we can be at least a little more safe living in our own comunitiy!!!!

    thanks SHOMRIM!!!

  • Rochel

    Yosher Koach to the Hershkop family. May Hashem bless you with abundance in both Gashmius and Ruchnius. Every incident prevented will be
    thanks to you. Every yid is a whole world, May more people follow your lead and donate to the protection of Crown heights, I don’t personally live in New York but spend enought time and have enought friends there that i would want them and all yidden protected.If you can let us know where to make a donation it would be wondeful.A fund should be started where ppl can donate.
    May the Hershkop family as well as all of Klal Israel have a gmar v’chasima tova.May there only be simchas to share in. All the best to all of you!

  • Die hard fan

    BARUCH HASHEM!!!! i think this will scare off perpetrators more…they will think you are police!! maybe you should have a donating fund for people to donate to get more cars like these… also we need gaurding here on utica :) thanx

  • Moishe

    Thank you for this. May Hashem Yisborach pay you a hundred fold for the great work you do keeping Yidden safe.

  • Lubby in Willy

    OMG!
    25 posts and nary a bad comment….YAY!
    Thanks AH – great MOVE!!!!

    Can someone just comfirm NYPD won’t have a cow when they see a similar looking vehicle to the ones they drive with all the bells and whistles??? Just wondering.

    Darn great move – I love it ~~~~

  • Levi

    this patrol car clearly showes the selfless devotion of the hard working Shomrim members. shame on the jcc; for pocketing all of any govermant assistance to the organization. thank you to the Hershkop family, who not only give whatever they have to patrol our neighborhood, but give their time and effort of selfless devotion, day and night.

  • Anonymous

    As many have asked and pointed out, Shomrim is NOT a law enforcement organization, Shomrim is a group of volunteers that patrol the neighborhood and respond to calls we receive with more vigil and passion as the NYPD should.

    Shomrim is in a way very much like the eyes and ears for the police, being that when we respond to an incident if we catch a suspect we call police, if we don’t we call police to take a report. In any case police is called, in no way are we trying to ‘take over’ police duties, and we just fill in where it’s needed.

    At the end of the day, this is our community not the officer that is being (nebach) paid almost minimum wage to put his life out on the line for us (ingrates) and when his shift is over these officers drive out to Jersey or Long Island and live a peaceful life there where they couldn’t care less about what happens here. We live here and we are here to stay, when an officer finishes his shift, we are still here. We care about our own and we take care of our streets.

  • mends

    thanx alot to toe hershkop family and a gmar chasima tova to all of ch

    now that we have a potroll car hope fully there will be much less crimes from just 1 car because the NYPD does nothing about crimes. GO CROWN HEIGHTS GO!! and have a good yom kipur witha g’mar chasima tova!

  • trouble

    I think that while PD might not think so the cars are a wonderfull addition to the already grown fleet of CHVP CRIME DETERENT vehicles. while ppl might not realize it, the similarities btwn a PD RMP and the new shomrim cars will work as deterent to would be criminals. Thand you aron and merit for the wonderfull donation to the community and thank you shomrim members for a job well done.One day people will relize what this organization has done for this community. May the new year shower you with blessings and may only good came your way.

  • a fan

    A big Yasher Koach to the Hershkop family for continuing to care for the safety of our commnity. may Hashem bless you all with Hatzlocho and success in all your endeavors and a Gmar Chasima Tova!

  • Murphy

    If it does fly, the NYC police will probably use the visible presence of the Shomrim cars as an excuse to decrease their own visible presence on our streets.

  • marty (Mosha)

    I think this idea of Marked Patrol Cars similar to the NYPD is a Big Mistake. The members are not armed or trained in Police Work. The New York City Aux police does patrol in different color markings they also have department radios that have instant communications within the police precinct. I don’t object to mobile patrols but to have NYPD colors is a big mistake and someone will get hurt or even worse killed.

  • nypd blue

    I think that this might put the shomrim patrol in a little danger because we all know that nyc police officers put there life in danger by the risk of being shot because they are marked police cars and they are in uniform so why should we use a blue color and the same wording like a marked rmp what would be wrong by making the same car in a green or red color why does it really need to be the blue that nypd uses (this is not a critic) just a safety mention

  • state trooper black, with sharp teeth!

    dressing in uniform and holding a universal patrol image, is not what puts a police officer in danger. what puts him in danger is his active engagement in his personal encounters with criminals. when a carnivore showes his teeth, it makes him very recognizable, as a being which is to be feard. it dosn’t make him more vulnarable.

  • CHVP blue

    it is not unmarked police cars which put police officers in danger. it is the nature of their job which puts them in danger. there is nothing dangerous about being properly identified.

  • trust them

    to marty
    if those small shvartze girls could be cops, by doing their six months of training, half of the training in ticketing etc., then members of our own who have been dealing with criminals in our neighborhood, with decades of experience, are certainly capable.

  • observer

    YASHER KOACH TO THE HERSHKOP FAMILY!!!!!
    hopegully the crime rate will do down!
    may we continie to only c good!!!!!!

  • marty (Mosha)

    To Trust Me. Your right but the schvartze has a gun and is authorized to use it. Lets suppose someone comes running up to the patrol car and says that this guy robbed me and has a gun, now what do you do? My suggestion is the lightbar should be all AMBER. Members safety is most important.

  • ALLAN

    I live in Canarsie and would like to see the same level of community involvement that the good people of Crown Heights have with the CHVP.. Keep up the good work and help keep all the folks in Crown Heights safe!!!

  • Mike Fish, Esq.

    Glad to see Shomrim NY so active!!! Keep up the great work. Mike Fish Boston PD/Shomrim member

  • B H

    I’m actually very impressed with the idea. I just hope that somehow these cars will do something to improve the safety in Crown Heights. All these "incidents" are causing havoc among fellow Lubavitchers

  • Jim Costello Ret. Hgway Sgt.

    As an ex Highway Sgt. I think it’s wonderful. More power to Crown Heights people. You shoould have fund raisers so you can purcahse more cars.

  • Yungerman

    Don’t forget the words of the Rebbe N"a KAAN TZIVO HASHE_M ES HABROCHA!
    doing anything to improve the naighberhood and the quality of life of anash living there is a great z’chus

  • Mike P

    As a local cop I am looking forward to continue the good work of shomrim and the nypd. kuddos

  • Sean H. Collins

    I completely support the community’s attempt to protect itself through Shomrim. As per NYC Police doctrine for Auxiliaries, “Omnipresence” is necessary to prevent crime. Criminals really cannot tell the difference.
    However, citizens should be extremely careful regarding the detention issue. Police Officers receive more than 700 hours of initial training, much of it pertaining to the lawful use of force, deadly physical force and search and seizure.
    I am a Police and Security Guard trainer, and would really hate to see your dedicated volunteers arrested and prosecuted because they didn’t understand the law and overstepped their authority.
    Please consult your NYPD representatives regarding the law, training and the legality of your vehicles so that your organization can continue it’s good work!

  • David

    To those of you who think that bearing a resemblence to the NYPD poses no threat. Remember what happened to those two poor Auxiliary cops in Manhattan. They were defenseless against an armed man. The same can happen to any member of Shomrim.