Hate Crimes Preparedness and Mitigation for Faith-Based Communities

The Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization provides information, analysis, and capabilities to help understand and reduce risk to the approximately 350,000 religious congregations in the United States and other faith-based organizations (FBOs) offering worship, education, support services, spiritual aid, and comfort, while enhancing preparedness, situational awareness, collaboration, security, and resiliency across all faiths and all-hazards. 

Considering the hostile events that have affected FBOs, as well as the rise in incidents according to the war between Israel and Hamas, FBOs are more vulnerable than ever and would do well in being prepared to address the ongoing threat. The Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization proposes to implement the Hate Crimes Preparedness and Mitigation for Faith-Based Communities program. The purpose is to help FBOs build their preparedness and mitigation strategies in identified areas. Project activities include analyzing hate incident data to determine the most prevalent type of threat, determining localities most affected, and assembling a team of exercise planners to develop an exercise intended to help affected FBOs conduct a preparedness assessment to better prepare for and mitigate the threat from hate incidents. Upon workshop delivery, FBOs and their corresponding law enforcement partners will receive an after-action report that categorizes best practices, preparedness gaps, and opportunities for improvement identified through the exercise series to help inform organizational and community security preparedness.