LCSO to conduct church safety class Saturday

Representatives from about 25 local churches will participate in a safety class presented by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office Saturday at the Laurens County Judicial Complex at Hillcrest Square.

“We think that’s a pretty good number,” LCSO Chief Deputy Jarvis Reeder said. “People are still calling about it.”

LCSO Lt. Don Evans will conduct the training class, which will include a pared down version of ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training.

“I have about a four-hour block of instruction planned,” Evans said. “I want to get as much information to the people as I’m able to.”

The onus behind the training came from a recent meeting between the LCSO and more than 150 representatives from local churches. Several local church leaders called the LCSO following a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas left 26 people dead to inquire about safety at their respective churches.

At the meeting, church leaders were urged to put together safety plans for their regular meetings and services.

Evans said he wants to give those who attend statistics on the types of crimes that occur most frequently in Laurens County so that their safety plans will be designed to be ready for situations other than an active shooter.

“I want to give them a foundation,” Evans said of the training class. “They’ve got to start somewhere and hopefully people will move on to the next step.”