Keeping Worship Safe: Archdiocese Partners with FBI, Police, and Interfaith Security Experts

Training covered practical tools — from situational awareness to de-escalation — to help Catholic, Christian and Jewish places of worship balance openness and protection.

Special Agent Ken Harris of the FBI presents to a group of interfaith leaders, security experts and law enforcement in order to help keep places of worship safe. (Photo courtesy of the FBI Field Office Denver)

By Gennie O'Gara

In an era where safety is a paramount concern for all communities, the Archdiocese of Denver, in collaboration with the Denver Police Department and the FBI Field Office Denver, hosted a pivotal security training session for houses of worship on Thursday, September 4. The event aimed to equip religious organizations with valuable insights and actionable strategies for preparing for and responding to potential emergency situations. 

Deacon Mike Daly, the archdiocesan director of safety and security, brought together a diverse lineup of experts, including representatives from the Secure Community Network, which specializes in enhancing security for Jewish places of worship, and the Anti-Defamation League. 

Opening the event to participants from all faiths, Deacon Daly and the FBI made concerted efforts to include as many local churches as possible, “to have robust communication working across all faiths, so that we can all give praise and worship in a safe place,” Deacon Daly said.

While the event had been planned for the last several months, recent tragedies only increased its importance. From the school shootings in Minneapolis and Evergreen to the killing of Charlie Kirk, institutional safety has become an increased concern across the board.

In recent years, the Archdiocese of Denver has been taking measures to bolster the safety and security of parishes, schools and Catholic communities across Northern Colorado. From Deacon Daly’s first day, much progress has been made in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities to keep the Catholic community safe. With the recent collaborative community meeting, those insights and other professional recommendations were shared for the benefit of a wide array of communities.

Jeremy Shaver of the Anti-Defamation League, a leading anti-hate organization founded to protect the Jewish population, spoke on the need to have places of worship that are welcoming and secure. To accomplish both, leaders need to have realistic plans and conversations.

“One of the tensions that often exists in these conversations is, ‘Can my religious institution be both open and welcoming and safe and secure?’ It’s okay to have those tough conversations and talk about how these are not mutually exclusive concepts,” Shaver said.

“Places of worship are typically sanctuaries that are open, welcoming, and inclusive,” added FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Marv Massey during his presentation. “People can walk through and walk up anytime. Unfortunately, that openness can also make them vulnerable.”

As communities engage these conversations to keep their sanctuaries safe, Shaver proposed a core practical measure to ensure safety: consistent training of clergy, staff and churchgoers. After all, investing in high-tech security equipment is unhelpful if no one knows how to use it. As they’re trained, people learn to develop situational awareness and trust their instincts if something feels wrong.

Additionally, Kevin Farrington of the Secure Community Network, the official safety and security organization for the Jewish community in North America, said communities and individuals would do well to learn de-escalation techniques, identify gaps in emergency response plans, and recommit to simple, easy, and free security measures like locking doors and windows when appropriate.

In short, when in doubt, individuals should report suspicious behavior — whether a potential hate crime or some other incident — to law enforcement. Law enforcement professionals can then review the facts and respond.

“Whether what someone does is a hate-based incident or a hate crime, we want to know about it, because we need to be able to determine what's happened and be able to assess it,” said Lieutenant Aaron Kafer of the Denver Police Department in his presentation. “Put it in the light because we know that bad actors want to operate in secrecy. They don't want people to see their deeds.”

But such a posture should not lead us to harden our hearts toward our neighbors. In his presentation, Special Agent Ken Harris of the FBI highlighted the need to see both criminals and victims as human beings. 

“Considering [criminals] as monsters is reductive to them in a way that's not helpful to them, and also not helpful to us as investigators,” Harris said. “We may learn some things, not just for prevention, but we're also going to be moving people off of a similar pathway.”

Just as understanding offenders is crucial, so too is providing support and resources for those who have been affected, Kafer noted as he promoted local victim assistance programs.

“We know from experience that dealing with individuals who have been a victim of a crime based off of their religion, their race, their color, all or any one of those protected categories, these are crimes that strike at the soul,” Kafer said. “[The Denver Police Department] has made our victim assistance unit available to victims of bias-motivated crimes. Immediately, we have a detective or an officer speaking to somebody that's been a victim of a crime. We offer those services to try to help people to get through that.”

Event participants appreciated connecting with law enforcement officials and learning from different expert speakers. As they return to their communities, they have plenty to reflect upon and implement.

“I truly enjoyed the wide group of speakers. We had not just federal security or the Denver police, we had the Jewish community and private security well represented,” said Mike Thrapp, a volunteer at the Mother Cabrini Shrine. “There was a wide-ranging view of opinions, but everyone emphasized the need to work together.”

AJ Dalida, a missions specialist with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), said he appreciated the community engagement from all the security forces represented. 

“We’re all coming together because safety is our number one goal. People in [the security] field are always welcoming and wanting to share knowledge and resources,” Dalida said. “It starts with individuals, not just the equipment or levels of security. Information that may seem ‘top secret’ or ‘high intelligence’ is actually just good information that people here, including myself, now can disperse to the people that we get to work with.”