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Churches across the country have become increasingly focused on how to keep their congregations safe without losing their welcoming atmosphere.
The London Police Department will address that concern on Tuesday, September 2, by hosting a free church security training from 6-8 p.m. at the London Community Center, led by Acting Chief of Police Bobby Day.
Day, who brings more than 30 years of tactical law enforcement and threat assessment experience, said the training is designed to give churches practical strategies for recognizing potential threats.
“It just gives the churches some better tactics and strategies for determining if people are there for the right reasons,” Day explained. “What we’re doing in the class is just making it very welcoming but being very aware of things that people need to look out for.”
In addition to active threat preparation, the two-hour class will also touch on broader safety planning, such as medical emergencies, food allergies, weather-related issues, and evacuation procedures.
Day said he has taught similar courses across the country for years including in Hawaii, New York, Florida and California. Day has taught Homeland Security courses since 2007, including event security planning, and worked with security teams preparing for the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
“Typically, churches are viewed as soft targets,” Day said. “A lot of people that are looking to do harm think, ‘I’ll get very little resistance here.’ So it’s kind of a fine line — you want to make it appear warm and inviting, but you also want to let people know it’s a hard target.”
London Police Department Public Information Officer Hobie Daugherty added that the goal is community protection.
“It really just goes back to us taking care of our community — making sure that they’re safe and prepared,” Daugherty said.
The training is open to churches, church leaders and places of worship concerned with the well-being of their congregations. Day emphasized that the approach is proactive.
“It’s about making sure everybody’s there for the right reason as opposed to a reactive approach,” he noted.
The session is free and open to the public. For more information, email Daugherty at hobie.daugherty@londonky.gov.
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