Churches Making Safety a Priority with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office

August 30, 2016 | For Immediate Release | Media Contact: Captain Valerie Weiss | Ottawa County Sheriff's Office | 616-738-4622

---

Area Church Leaders Invited to Security Workshop 

Safety and Security is becoming increasingly important for places of worship. A steady rise in emergencies at churches throughout the country has necessitated a need to prepare for a variety of crisis situations, such as violence, disruptive visitors, plus medical and weather emergencies.

The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office is inviting area church leaders to security and safety workshops. The workshops are planned at Spring Valley Church (5947 Lake Michigan Drive, Allendale) on September 13 from 6-9PM and September 27 from 6-9:30PM. The events are free but registration for each date is required via miOttawa.org. 

Topics at the workshops will include: responding to violent or disruptive visitors, identifying and handling suspicious people, building security and design, responding to emergencies, creating response teams and more. Participants are NOT required to attend both sessions, however each session covers different material. The agenda for each date is below.

---

 September 13 | 6-9PM

• Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events
• Creating Emergency Response Teams

September 27 | 6-9:30PM

• Building Security Considerations
• Identifying & Handling Suspicious People
• Critical Incident Readiness