Virtual Protecting Places of Worship Forum

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On June 27 and 29, 2022, CRS hosted virtual protecting places of worship forums to provide interfaith communities with resources and information on securing their places of worship, help faith leaders build relationships with law enforcement, and answer questions. A total of more than 500 faith-based and other community members attended the forums.

Speakers from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Federal Emergency Management Agency discussed:

• The definition of a hate crime and the importance of reporting suspected hate crimes,
• Resources for assessing the safety of places of worship, and
• Best practices for preventing and responding to hate crimes against places of worship.

You can watch the event in full below or use the annotated agenda to identify a specific speaker to view.

Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions, Paul Monteiro, Director, U.S. Department of Justice, Community Relations Service and Harpreet S. Mokha, National Program Manager for Muslim, Arab, Sikh, South Asian, and Hindu, U.S. Department of Justice, Community Relations Service (0:00)
• Overview of Hate Crimes Laws, Investigations, and Active Shooter Training, Michael Campion, Chief, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey (5:05)
• Securing Places of Worship, Steven Long, Regional Protective Security Advisor, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (35:23)
• Grants and Other Resources, Mark Silveira, Senior Advisor and Branch Chief, Federal Emergency Management Agency (52:51)
• Q&A (1:10:54)

Watch the full video

For more information about protecting places of worship or to host a similar forum in your community, please contact your local CRS office.