Published on July 01, 2019
On July 9th, 2019, approximately 50 religious and community leaders throughout Morris County attended a training program covering security at houses of worship hosted by the Randolph Police Department, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and preparedness. The training was hosted by the Resurrection Parish and ran for approximately one and one half hours including an extensive question and answer period.
Prior to the presentation, welcoming remarks were provided by Reverend John Tarantino of Resurrection Parish, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp and Lt. Jeffrey Gomez of the Randolph Police Department. Detective Lt. John Paige of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness then provided information for those in attendance concerning best practices to ensure the security of their respective houses of worship, including what warning signs to look for. Morris County Prosecutor's Office Director of Critical Infrastructure Patrick Owens covered the federal and State of New Jersey grants available to the houses of worship to help fund new security measures, as well as the security assessment available through the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.
Prosecutor Knapp said, It was encouraging to see so many of the religious and community leaders in our county participate in this critically important training. Preparation is the most important aspect of security and the information provided by law enforcement professionals will allow for them to increase the security to ensure the safety of their facilities.
Prosecutor Knapp, Director Owens, Lt. Paige, Lt. Gomez, Officer Michael Shoudy, and Officer Richard Biase of Randolph PD with attendees.
Inquiries concerning this press release should be directed to Public Information Officer Peter DiGennaro at pressinquiry@co.morris.nj.us or 973-829-8159.