Sheriff Dept. to offer Active Threat Response Training to Washtenaw County church leaders

submitted by the Washtenaw County Sheriff Office

Earlier this month, the nation was stunned by the violence that took place at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Twenty-six people were murdered and twenty others were wounded. Unfortunately, this is not the only active shooter incident that has happened at a place of worship. In June of 2015, nine members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina were killed. In August 2012, six people were killed at the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin. In fact, according to the ALICE Training Institute, from 1999 to 2013 there have been 649 deaths due to an armed intruder in places of worship.

“Events like these remind us of how important it is to be prepared,” said Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry L. Clayton. “We understand that the threat of an active shooter is rare, but that it is very real.”

Since 2013, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office–in partnership with local Washtenaw County law enforcement agencies–has offered Active Threat Response Training to schools, local governments, non-profits, places of worship, and the general public. In total, it has trained more than 20,000 citizens in how to enhance their security measures, mitigate potential threats and respond should they find themselves in the midst of an active threat situation. On December 9, 2017, the Sheriff’s Office will kick off a series of training events for any place of worship within Washtenaw County.

Event Details:
·  December 9th from 9:00 am to noon
·  Washtenaw County Learning Resource Center (LRC) located at 4135 Washtenaw Ave. in 
Ann Arbor

This training is intended for leadership, their designees, safety team members, or anyone within the worshiping organization who will focus on safety. Follow up trainings will be offered for individual places of worship.

When we know better, we train better, and we respond better. If you would like to participate in the December 9th active threat response training please RSVP at wyattk@ewashtenaw.org or 734-973-4613. Due to space limitations, an RSVP is required.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.