Written by: Julia Juler
On Saturday, June 22, during the 9 a.m. service, a phone threat was made anonymously to the Collegedale Seventh-day Adventist Church. Law enforcement was quickly contacted and the church building was safely evacuated and searched, according to the Collegedale Police Department (CPD).
“There were multiple calls made that were initially ignored,” Assistant Police Chief James Heath said in an interview with the Accent. “The voice sounded strange over the phone.”
Eventually, the receptionist realized that there was an active bomb threat and the church leadership responded swiftly.
“Once we learned about a phone threat, we had all the relevant people acting immediately,” said Jay Cole, church administrator, in an interview with the Accent. He noted that deacons and greeters were alerted and equipped with radios.
“Now that we’re educated on this particular method, we can act accordingly.”
The police advised clearing the building as a precaution, according to Cole. Pastor Ron Halvorsen made an announcement for everyone to “calmly proceed to their cars,” and the congregation responded without panic Cole said.
Once the building was evacuated, law enforcement worked in collaboration with the Chattanooga bomb squad and searched the premises.
“They went room to room and verified that there weren’t any actual bombs [and] that it was a hoax,” Heath said, describing the incident. “And, at that point, it was handed over for investigation.”
Currently, the case is not closed.
“Our investigators are working with federal authorities, the FBI, and other federal agencies to investigate and track down whoever is responsible for the bomb threat,” Heath said.
Cole said, in the aftermath, the church saw little impact on attendance, though some members chose to stay home for a few weeks.
“The Adventist grapevine is immediate,” he said. “There were people [from all over the country] messaging church members… [asking] what’s going on and [saying] we’re praying for you… it’s just amazing how lightning fast, you know, news like this travels.”
The church released a statement on Facebook that there would be an increased security presence at church services and the Vacation Bible School.
“The church has been having an ongoing conversation with us about active shooter incidents and what we might recommend for their standard operating procedures. It’s something we’ve discussed with them in the past,” Heath said.
Going forward, the church is enhancing safety measures, including the possibility of recording phone threats to assist with future investigations. “Now that we’re educated on this particular method, we can act accordingly,” Cole explained, emphasizing the church’s ongoing efforts to improve security.
