The Barry County Sheriff’s Office invites Barry County churches to a seminar on Feb. 16 on the basics of church security. The all-day session will cover safety and security topics that a church should follow, and help them form their own security team going forward.
The training includes how to increase security, deal with medical issues and weather concerns and how to handle funds in the most secure manner, Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf said.
The sheriff’s office has its own policies for church security team members to use when writing their own guidelines, and will help with writing them, Leaf said. Any church representative can call the sheriff’s office and apply to attend. Anticipating a crowd, the training will be held at the Thornapple Valley Church.
The BCSO has offered the training to Barry County and other area churches since two students shot and killed 13 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado in April, 1999.