Warner Robins police, church leaders work to protect places of worship

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Warner Robins police and church leaders are partnering to help protect places of worship.

One detective say it’s important church members are prepared and proactive in the case of any emergency.

Inside Southside Baptist Church in Warner Robins, leaders are alert, watchful, and prepared.

“We have thousands of people that come through our doors every week. So we want to be proactive, we want to be vigilant, we want to be professional,” Billy Andrews, Southside’s administrative pastor, said.

He said the upcoming workshop to help Houston County church leaders stay safe is a great idea.

“Things have gotten progressively worse, in terms of news wise, you start realizing that anything that can happen anywhere, any time,” Andrews said.

Warner Robins police officer are helping the church staffs pinpoint high risk areas throughout their buildings.

“We want to have a plan in place just in case something does happen. We don’t want to be reactive we want to be proactive,” Det. Carder Gravitt said.

Participants will also learn about child protection policies and what to do in the case of a medical emergency, natural disaster, or an active shooter situation.

“You know just in case they would have a parent, a non-custodial parent, come in and just want to make sure that your kid is safe. Obviously when people come to church, they want to feel safe,” Gravitt said.

Southside sees more than 3,000 people come through the church’s doors each week.

“I think the pastors are going to feel a little bit more prepared to be able to preach and do the things that they need to know to do if they know that the plan is place with the law enforcement is out there,” Gravitt continued.

It’s a sense of reinforcement for leaders including Andrews.

“We’re excited about the workshop because it’ll give a platform for us. We’ll have more of a partnership with the police department and add to our protocols and make it that more effective,” he said.

The 8-hour seminar is Thursday, April 28th beginning at 8 a.m. at Southside Baptist Church. It’s $55 to participate.

Click here to register.