Sergeant Discusses Safety Summit For Houses Of Worship: Update

GREENWICH, CT — A summit has been scheduled by Greenwich police for next week to discuss safety at the town's houses of worship, according to officials.

Religious leaders from all of the town's houses of worship have been invited to the May 7 event, in which the following topics will be addressed:

• Current Events
• Threat Analysis
• Local Security Recommendations
• Situational Awareness
• Q&A Session
• Networking

In recent months, several houses of worship have been set ablaze, or parishioners have attacked, including one over the weekend at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in California where a person was killed and three injured.

The incidents point to a troubling rise in hate crimes in the United States over the past two years, and the Greenwich Police Department is trying to get ahead of the issue within the community.

Tuesday's summit is being organized by Greenwich Police Sgt. John Thorme, who told Patch that "due to the nature of the topic and discussion of specific security procedures" the event is not open to the press or general public.

"We had been developing a summit for a few weeks, but decided to accelerate it due to recent events across the country," Thorme told Patch. "We have many conversations with the leaders of houses of worship across the Town on a periodic basis. Many of them have reached out to us for advice on security recommendations."

Members of the department's Community Impact Section regularly visits town's religious institutions, Thorme added, to provide advice and assistance to address concerns.

"We are not publicizing who may or will be attending the event at this time," Thorme said, again, in part for security reasons. "We are seeking to encourage a frank and open discussion among the participants."

Among the speakers scheduled to address the summit include Police Chief Jim Heavey, First Selectman Peter Tesei and members of the police department's Command Staff and security assessment advisors.

The summit is scheduled for 3 p.m. on May 7 in Training Room B at Greenwich Police Headquarters on Bruce Place. For more information, contact Sgt. Thorme in the department's Community Impact Section at 203-622-3660. To RSVP for the event, email Lauren Brechlin at lauren.brechlin@greenwichct.org or call at 203-618-8298.