KENTUCKY COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM
The Kentucky Community Preparedness Program is the Department of Criminal Justice Training’s unique homeland security initiative. The program focuses on prevention of hostile acts and crime in small- and medium-sized communities through a system of risk assessments and recommendations for improved security. In 2004, the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security approved a $2.4-million grant that allowed DOCJT to implement the program in 60 communities throughout the state during a 12-month period.
In 2005 the assessment teams traveled more than 6,200 miles examining the security of communities across the Commonwealth. During their visits, they assessed more than 1,200 individual sites, ranging from schools to government buildings to tourist attractions
After its highly successful first year, the program received an additional $1.2 million to assess 30 communities in 2006.
Working closely with local law enforcement and community leaders, the teams conduct vulnerability assessments to identify a community's weaknesses. The project culminates in a final report, outlining each site’s vulnerabilities and recommendations to make them stronger.
The assessment process is the first step a community takes to prepare and protect its citizens not only from a hostile event, but also from a natural disaster, emergency or criminal activity.
The key elements that set this program apart from other homeland security initiatives are its focus on prevention and its statewide scope. Many times, programs focus on improving response in the event of an attack, but KCPP’s goal is to prevent an attack before it happens
Prepared Kentucky Communities
Communities that complete the entire assessment process will be certified as a Prepared Kentucky Community and will eligible to be reimbursed up to $10,000 for making recommended changes.
By looking at a community as a whole instead of just looking at individual components, local officials are able to allocate resources and funds to the areas where they are most needed.
The KCPP team
The Kentucky Community Preparedness Program is comprised of a talented and experienced staff, including an executive director, three team leaders and 18 assessors. The 21-member team underwent a 56-hour training course covering the methodology used in the assessment process. The course was certified by the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council and was taught by KLEC-certified instructors. As a whole, the group has completed an estimated 400 hours of additional homeland security training on topics such as the National Incident Management System, school safety and suicide bombers.
Terrorism in Kentucky?
Though there is not a huge threat of an attack by international terrorists in many areas of Kentucky, every community is at risk of facing an act of domestic terrorism. A small group of disgruntled citizens or extremists can cause catastrophic damage to a community’s infrastructure. Often when people think of terrorism they think internationally, but domestic terrorists could cause just as much devastation to a community. The Kentucky Community Preparedness Program’s goal is to prepare a community for any hostile event, whether it’s a terrorist attack, criminal activity or a natural disaster.
Contact Information
If you are interested in learning more about the Kentucky Community Preparedness Program, please contact KCPP Executive Director Drexel Neal at (859) 622-6824.
