Douglas County Sheriff’s Office offers security training to metro area pastors

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is helping church pastors be better prepared in the event of an emergency.

In collaboration with Lionsgate Security Solutions, DCSO led a training session on hand-gun familiarization and church security for metro-area pastors.

With more instances of armed individuals entering places of worship, Saturday’s session gave pastors some knowledge on what to do in case of an emergency.

They provided attendees with what they call active killer kits. Inside these kits is something to restrain a person, and equipment to take care of anyone who may be harmed.

“One thing to remember is 2.5 minutes: that’s how long it takes from when an active killer situation starts until it ends,” says Chief Deputy Wayne Hudson. “So unless a law enforcement officer, in a cruiser, is right down the street, the probability of us being there on time in 2.5 minutes is very slim.”

The sheriff’s office recommends that all church organizations around the metro be proactive and have proper safety and security measures in place in the event of an emergency.

The sheriff’s office is planning to host another training session in the future for churches that weren’t able to make Saturday’s event.

Chief Deputy Hudson tells 6 News that a local pastor put together a template that deals with not only active killer situations but also natural disasters. They are planning to give the template to all houses of worship that ask for it.

Chief Deputy Hudson encourages anyone with questions to contact him at (402) 444-6632.

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