Overview
- PBSO trained faith leaders Tuesday on the new House of Worship Alert system, which goes live Wednesday for roughly 300 churches, synagogues and mosques in its jurisdiction.
- Alerts arrive by email, text and phone to designated staff when deputies log qualifying incidents near a participating site.
- Local reports differ on the coverage area, with WPBF citing a quarter-mile geofence described by Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and WPTV reporting a half-mile radius with three alert tiers tied to about 40 crimes.
- Clergy say the early heads-up lets them lock doors, keep people inside or dismiss services to avoid walking into danger outside.
- Interest is growing beyond Palm Beach County, with Broward deputies attending the training and a proposed state measure that would require similar notifications to schools and daycares within three miles of a shooting.