Faith leaders and law enforcement work to keep places of worship safe
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Faith leaders and law enforcement in Bexley are putting meaning to the phrase “better together.”
They have formed a group to discuss safety at places of worship. This group includes faith leaders of all denominations.
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The group formation comes as tensions are rising in the middle east once again after Iran launched a major drone attack on Israel Saturday.
Bexley Police Chief Gary Lewis said the goal of these meetings is to make sure each place of worship has a plan in place for any kind of emergency.
“It really was just a matter of bringing all faith based clergy, their leadership together and talking about best practices, what systems they may or may not have in place,” Lewis said.
Chief Lewis said their first meeting was a few weeks ago. He said we live in a world where this safety at places of worship is a serious concern. He said they are using FEMA’s guidelines to create the plans. They are talking about active threats and even natural disasters. He said he didn’t realize how vulnerable we really are until having these open conversations.
Chief Lewis said since Bexley has a very dominant Jewish population, much of this idea stemmed from anti- semitic incidents in the area following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
”We have three synagogues and nearly a two-and-a-half square mile with two adjacent to us. So that is a very high priority to us as well as the other places of worship here and making sure we partner and work together,” Lewis said.
Julie Tilson Stanley is the President and CEO of JewishColumbus. They are one of the organizations involved in the meetings.
“Unfortunately, when there is a tragedy in a community or around the world, it gives you a moment to pause and reflect and understand what are the opportunities to learn more,” Tilson Stanley said.
She said they are thankful for their relationship with local law enforcement.
“We walked out with a sense of possibility on what partnership can look like and how stronger communication and working together makes everyone safer,” Tilson Stanley said.
Tilson Stanley said they spend more than a million dollars on security each year. She said with the Jewish community celebrating Passover next week they are on high alert, but there are no known threats at this time.
“We feel very strongly that it is important, especially as the Passover holiday is coming, that you also are able to experience that joy,” Tilson Stanley said.
Chief Lewis said it’s about creating a safe space for all the leaders to openly speak. He said they are in the discussion phases now but hope to implement real world exercises in the future.
He said these meetings are also helping his department have a better understanding of where they are needed.
“I think when you can partner, no matter the faith denomination of the place of worship, when you’re looking at that and have those leaders in one room and speaking the same love language, to me that is a critical key and why we’ve been so successful,” Lewis said.
Chief Lewis said he hopes to have quarterly meetings with the faith leaders. The Bexley Police Department has designated a liaison to make communicating easier.
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