Lee County Sheriff’s Office Offers Active Shooter Training for Religious Institutions

Lee County Sheriff's Office Offers Active Shooter Training for Religious Institutions

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Florida offers houses of worship active shooter training, security surveys of their campus buildings and deputy details.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • May 06, 2019

In light of recent attacks on houses of worship, congregants are working to stay safe and increase security at their religious institutions. To assist in these efforts, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Florida offers houses of worship active shooter training, security surveys of their campus buildings and deputy details.

Religious leaders have been working to increase safety and security after deadly attacks on synagogues in Pittsburgh and San Diego.

Rabbi Nicole Luna of Temple Beth-El in Fort Myers, Fla., thinks it’s important to prepare for the worst.

"In case, God forbid, something should happen, to know how to respond, to know how to act and to feel like we have a sense of the best way to protect ourselves," Luna said.

The training course offered by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office includes instruction on how to respond, protect yourself and make defensive choices when coming face-to-face with an active shooter suspect. Trainers also go over how to keep a victim from bleeding out before first responders can arrive on the scene of an emergency.

More than 15,000 people have undergone active shooter training with the LCSO in the last three years.

"It's pretty sad that today we have to think about, when we go to church, our safety," Sheriff Carmine Marceno said. "If you're alert and you're watching your surroundings, and watching the people around you, it's easier to recognize things when they're suspicious or not right."

LCSO’s security survey of a house of worship’s buildings includes deputies inspecting the building, doors, locks, landscape design and lighting. During the check, deputies are able to identify vulnerable areas that could be taken advantage of by attackers.

The sheriff’s office said their agency also provides security details, allowing a house of worship to have a deputy present on the premises for the duration of their worship service.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • AI in Security: Advancing Campus Safety and Considerations for Implementing

    Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to capture attention across every sector, and the physical security industry is no exception. Once seen as experimental, AI-enabled analytics now underpin how organizations monitor environments, detect threats, and make decisions. What was once futuristic is now a practical necessity for safety professionals managing growing volumes of data, tighter resources, and increasing expectations for faster, more accurate responses. Read Now

  • How Cloud Security Solutions Are Transforming Campus Safety

    Campus administrators today face a challenging mandate: deliver stronger security across their facilities while working within tighter budget constraints. From school districts focused on student safety to hospitals protecting patients and staff, the question remains the same: how do you build security infrastructure that evolves with your needs without requiring massive capital investments? Read Now

  • 77% of Americans Support Gun Detection Technology in Schools, Workplaces, and Houses of Worship

    More than three-quarters of Americans (77.4%) believe gun detection technology should be deployed in schools, workplaces, and other public spaces, according to new survey data released recently. The national survey shows strong support for incorporating camera-based gun detection into existing video surveillance systems. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

Most   Popular