HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — A recent shooting at Joel Osteen’s Megachurch in Houston along with a gun being brought on church grounds in Birmingham has fueled a conversation surrounding worship services and the safety of people who attend them.
Local churches in North Alabama like First Baptist in Huntsville are sounding off on safety measures they have in place and how they’re continuing to address their security daily.
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Officials with the church say they’ve had heightened security measures in place for some years now adding the safety of both their church members and visitors is always a top priority.
“We have off-duty police officers here and fortunately we’ve had the same officers for a number of years so they’re familiar with our folks and can easily spot someone that may be out of place,” said First Baptist Church Business Administrator Debbie Bell.
Bell, who is also in charge of the church’s security explained how they have cameras to monitor daily activity along with access code systems attached to entrance points keeping track of those that go in and out of the church.