Safety at houses of worship: Haledon Police Department to host timely discussion

HALEDON — The police department will host a summit at the municipal building Monday to discuss security at local houses of worship.

The free event at 6 p.m. on the second floor of the borough hall, at 510 Belmont Ave., will feature two guest speakers: Deputy Chief George Guzmán and Denis Doohan, a risk-mitigation planner for the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office .

They will cover strategies for improving safety and ways to identify security threats.

According to the Department of Homeland Security , there has been a sharp rise in hate crimes and targeted violence against houses of worship since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war in October.

As a result, the federal government released new guidance in December called “Physical Security Performance Goals for Faith-based Communities.”

The 11-page document outlines how such institutions can protect themselves, from forming a team of safety-minded volunteers to making sure that hedges are trimmed to “prevent hiding places.”

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Safety at houses of worship: Haledon Police Department to host timely discussion