Richmond, KY - The homeland security assessors who are examining the safety and preparedness level of Campton this week will make a presentation to the public at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, at the Wolfe County Courthouse to discuss the program and explain the assessment process.

 The Kentucky Community Preparedness Program assessment team arrived in Wolfe County on Monday, Dec. 18.  Using a series of risk assessments, the team is scrutinizing the community’s preparedness level. Assessors are analyzing facilities, structures and security policies and their relationships to each other to identify the community’s weaknesses.

“When people think about terrorism they think internationally, but the truth is domestic terrorists, whether that be in the form of a local extremist group or someone opening fire in a school or business, could cause just as much devastation to a community, and that is really where we are focusing,” KCPP team leader Jim Cox said. “By going through this process, a community is strengthening its defenses and preparing itself to better deal with any situation, whether it is an attack or a natural disaster.”

The Kentucky Community Preparedness Program is the Department of Criminal Justice Training’s homeland security initiative that strengthens the security of Kentucky communities by locating and eliminating potential vulnerabilities. It focuses on hostile acts and crime in small- and medium-sized communities through a system of risk assessments and recommendations for improved security.

A community that completes the entire assessment program will be certified as a Prepared Kentucky Community and will be eligible to be reimbursed up to $10,000 for making recommended changes.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher praised the community for its participation.

“This is an exceptional program that is going to make Kentucky and its communities safer,” Fletcher said. “I want to applaud the officials in Wolfe County for taking this bold step to protect their community and their citizens.”

KCPP was originally funded by a $2.4-million grant from the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security. The grant allowed DOCJT to implement the program in 60 small- and medium-sized communities throughout the state during 2005.

After its highly successful first year, the program was given an additional $1.2 million to fund another 30 assessments earlier this year.

In August, the program was awarded $1.3 million to continue the vulnerability assessments.