Through the Safe Indy Initiative, Community Security Director Grant Mendenhall is hosting several community training sessions this Spring. He plans to conduct one Situational Awareness Training session and one Countering Active Threat Training each month in March, April and May.

These sessions build on the pillars of the Safe Indy Initiative to support an ever-improving safety and security culture across the Jewish community through awareness and information sharing; consultations, security assessments, and target hardening; training and preparation; law enforcement partnerships.

The Situational Awareness Training program is designed to prepare community members to improve their situational awareness and increase their safety – from school drop-off to attending synagogue. This unique training addresses the threats facing the Jewish community and for everyday situations. Participants learn methods to recognize, evaluate, report and react to suspicious behavior.

The comprehensive Countering Active Threat Training program was developed for faith-based institutions and Houses of Worship to counter an active threat event. Participants learn to recognize and respond to different kinds of Active Threat incidents.

In January, Mendenhall was joined by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to brief both the Safe Indy Initiative security committee and the wider community on cyber security.
In February, Mendenhall led a roundtable discussion on an after-action review of a church shooting in Texas. Mendenhall is available to host training and informational sessions on various topics, including cybersecurity. These sessions can be conducted virtually or, for small groups, in person.

“The Safe Indy Initiative vision is a proactive approach to security, Mendenhall said. “A year after the initiative was founded, these training sessions allow community members to play an active part in a long-term security solution.”
Participants will not only leave the sessions with a foundational knowledge about the topic at hand, but they will also prepare to act accordingly in the case of a real emergency,” Mendenhall said.

Community members are invited to attend these sessions and to play a key role in ensuring a safe community for generations to come.

To host a training session for a group or organization, contact Grant Mendenhall at gmendenhall@jfgi.org.