Faith Leaders To Gather In Golden For Safety Summit

GOLDEN, CO – It hasn't yet been a year since Texas's Sutherland Springs church mass-killing killed 26 people, but safety in houses of worship has been a priority for Colorado law enforcement for years, because Colorado churches are not strangers to mass-shootings.

In November, the Aurora Police Department hosted church active shooter training for houses of worship.

In Jefferson County, Sheriff Jeff Shrader introduced the "Safety in Faith Summit" in 2015 to help clergy and staff of the area's churches develop safety plans.

The JeffCo Sheriff's office will host another summit Thursday Aug. 23 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. at 15200 W 6th Ave Frontage Rd, Golden.

The meeting is free and helps church leaders, security team members and volunteers brush up on church/synagogue/mosque safety. The event is also open to the public.

The summit will feature two veterans of mass-shootings: Carl Chinn survived the double 2007 New Life Church shootings in Arvada and Colorado Springs and Dr. David Benke, the math teacher who stopped an active shooter at Deer Creek Middle School in 2010.

Also, a panel of mental health experts will answer questions, and the national “Stop the Bleed” program, that teaches bystanders to help in emergencies before first responders arrive, will give a presentation. Several partner agencies will also offer safety information throughout the day, including the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office; Arvada, Golden, Lakewood, Westminster, and Wheat Ridge Police Departments; and Arvada, Evergreen, and West Metro Fire & Rescue.

Registration is encouraged: www.jeffco.us/728/Safety-in-Faith. Check-in and a continental breakfast begin at 7 a.m. and lunch is also provided.

Schedule:

7:00 Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:00 Welcome & Partner Introductions by Sheriff Jeff Shrader

8:30 At the Bang: New Life Church Shooting

Carl Chinn, Church Safety and Security Expert, will discuss the tactics used at the New Life

Church shooting, what was done well, and what could have been better.

10:00 Break

10:15 Domino Pushers: Reacting in a Crisis and Your Life

Dr. David Benke, now with the I Love You Guys Foundation, was a teacher at Deer Creek

Middle School and took down an active shooter. Dr. Benke will provide an inspirational look

at his actions and decisions before and after the 2010 shooting.

12:00 Lunch

12:30 Mental Health Panel Discussion

• Dr. Nikki Johnson, Mental Health Director, Correctional Psychology Associates
• Dr. Kate McMann, Psychologist, Nicoletti–Flater Associates
• Chief Al Simmons, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office

The panelists will discuss some of the more common mental illnesses, how specific events

trigger certain responses, how we can recognize those events, and how law enforcement

tries to minimize escalation.

1:30 Break

1:45 Stop the Bleed

Robert Hayes, Injury Prevention Specialist at St. Anthony Hospital, will present on “Stop the

Bleed.” Stop the Bleed is a national program started after the shooting at Sandy Hook

Elementary School. It was initiated by National Security Council staff and the American

College of Surgeons. The program teaches how to identify serious bleeding and stop it until

professional medical help arrives.

2:45 Closing by Sheriff Jeff Shrader

Image via Shutterstock

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