The Ark Encounter offers free police training while critics twist the story
Law enforcement departments have used our sprawling attraction south of Cincinnati to train canine officers and their dogs to be more effective in supporting public safety in their communities. The Ark seeks to be a good citizen by hosting the event, but when the atheist group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, hears about it and goes into a frenzy, it writes threatening legal letters to police agencies that attended − and catches the eye of the Enquirer.
More: Kentucky police agencies paid for proselytizing canine training at Ark Encounter
Buried deep in the article is a quote from a law enforcement agency about optional talks for officers to attend. Before each day of training, as well as at the end of the day, Bible studies were offered for those who wanted to attend in their personal time. Such studies were not a part of the actual course and were not mandatory. The article falsely suggests that officers had to attend and hear messages about the Ark and other religious topics.
Some of the best training a canine officer could receive occurs on the grounds of the Ark Encounter. The conference, led by one of our officers, founder of the Police and Professional Dog Training Association and a world-renowned dog handler, helps canine handlers from law enforcement enhance their dogs' training, handling and performance.
The Ark's own canine department (eight units) also benefits from the training as it fulfills a commitment to the safety of the one million-plus guests who visit annually. This is the same public safety department at the Ark and Creation Museum that regularly loans out its specialized services to counties nearby for search/rescue and other tasks. In 2024, we received 34 calls for service. Our canine units have even helped clear public schools when there have been bomb threats. All these services were offered at no charge.
Opinion: When police lose support, we lose morale and good people like Larry Henderson
Also, canine officers from law enforcement departments representing Boone and Grant counties attend the safety training at no charge since we have a good relationship with these agencies in our backyard.
A law enforcement agency anywhere in the East would be foolish not to consider having canine training here. It's our honor to be of service to them.
Ken Ham is the co-founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis, a Christian apologetics organization that operates the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. Mark Looy is the co-founder and chief communications officer of Answers in Genesis.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio police benefit from Ark training. Why the controversy? | Opinion
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Dominion Post
2 hours ago
- Dominion Post
Randa Mae Phillips Hall
Randa Mae Phillips Hall, 100, peacefully left her earthly home Saturday, August 9, 2025. Randa was born in Jellico, Tenn. to George Joseph Phillips and Mary Lissie Leach Phillips April 28, 1925. Her family moved to Webster County, where, in 1938, she was baptized in the Elk River and became a member of the Bergoo Baptist married Leonard M. Hall June 14, 1942, making her a young World War II Navy leaving Webster County, Randa and Leonard moved to Arthurdale, where they raised their family in a historic home. They later moved to Jollytown, Pa., before retiring to Sebring, Fla., where Randa enjoyed bowling, swimming, dancing, playing dominoes, and bike faithfully attended The Church of Buttonwood Bay while living in the past three years, she lived in Sycamore, Pa., but very recently with her daughter Sheila in was an avid reader of Amish and Christian books, consuming sometimes a book a was a member of the Order of Eastern Star of West is survived by eight of her nine children: Eddie Hall and Frances Carper (Jim), all of Sebring; Paul Michael Hall (Linda) of Morgantown; Roy Hall (Vicki) of Hundred; Debra Street (Dave) of Masontown; Sheila Hartley (Marshall) of Wadestown; Joyce Conklin (Doug) of Sycamore; and Jackie Hall of St. Cloud, Fla. Also surviving are her son-in-law, Doug Carper of Morgantown; 24 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren; two great-great-granddaughters; sister, Evelyn Mick of Medina, Ohio; brother, Charles Phillips of Dayton, Ohio; sister-in-law, Kathy Phillips of Maryville, Tenn.; and many nieces and nephews on both the Hall and Phillips sides. She was last of the 'Hall Aunts' was predeceased by her parents; loving husband of 69 years, Leonard; her eldest daughter, Barbara Carper; son-in-law, Larry W. Fordyce; daughter- in-law, Princess Beth Hall; granddaughters, Teresa Carper and Diana Carper; her great- granddaughter, Victoria Hall; and her brothers, Joe, Ernest, Jerome, Billy, and Donald family would like to thank Randa's many caregivers and WV Caring Hospice of lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations, in her memory, to the Bergoo Baptist Church, 3201 Bergoo Road, Webster Springs, WV 26288; or, donate a large print book, in her memory, to one's local will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, August 12, in Dodd & Reed Funeral Home, Webster Springs, with Pastor Bennie Cowger officiating. Friends may join the family for visitation from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., prior to the service. Burial will follow at Hall Family Cemetery, Guardian. Condolences may be sent to the Hall family at Dodd & Reed Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Hall family.
Fox News
5 hours ago
- Fox News
Archaeologists uncover ancient blade factory tied to major group in the Bible: 'Exceptional individuals'
A 5,500-year-old Canaanite blade factory was recently uncovered in Israel — offering a rare link to a major group of people central to the Bible. The ancient workshop was discovered in Kiryat Gat, a city roughly 40 miles south of Tel Aviv. The workshop is the first of its kind found in southern Israel. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) made the announcement in a Facebook post in late July. "The most impressive findings discovered at the site are large flint cores, from which extremely sharp, uniformly shaped blades were produced," the IAA said. "The blades themselves were used as knives for cutting and butchering, and as harvesting tools, like sickle blades." The remnants of the factory were unearthed at the city's Nahal Qomem archaeological site, which contains hundreds of underground pits once used for craft production, storage and other purposes. Pictures shared by the IAA show long flint blades that were recovered, as well as the large stone cores that were used to produce them. Cores are chunks of raw stone from which blades were struck. The artifacts will be put on display at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem. "This is clear evidence that already at the onset of the Bronze Age, the local society here was organized and complex, and had professional specialization." The IAA ties the discovery to the "Canaanite blade industry," referring to an ancient people described in the Bible as inhabiting the region before the Israelites. Archaeologists say the tools align with the material culture of Canaan during the time of Abraham – and show how sophisticated the industry was. "Only exceptional individuals" knew how to craft Canaanite blades, according to the IAA. The discovery deepens the understanding of craftsmanship in Israel, as well as urbanization during the Bronze Age, the IAA added. "This is clear evidence that already at the onset of the Bronze Age, the local society here was organized and complex, and had professional specialization," the organization added. "The discovery of a sophisticated workshop indicates a society with a complex social and economic structure already at the beginning of the Early Bronze Age."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
The Enquirer takes on Mr. Gene's Dog House and the city's plan to plan
Journalists aim to stay neutral about the stories they cover. But personal preferences do sometimes come into play. When I first proposed a story about the city of Cincinnati returning to its 2011 Revive Cincinnati effort to boost development of communities along Interstate 75, I noticed one of six upcoming meetings on the plan would be in South Cumminsville. I picked that one because I was familiar with the neighborhood from a 2022 story about its stormwater issues – and because it was scheduled close to Mr. Gene's Dog House around dinnertime. Fortified with a fish sandwich from Mr. Gene's, Enquirer intern Annie Goldman (a vegetarian who nonetheless ordered up a hot dog) and I sat in the South Cumminsville meeting as a first step in reporting our "Drive to Revive" story. Reporters earlier teamed for Queensgate story Colleague Sydney Franklin, it turns out, was already engaged in the Revive story — even without the lure of drive-up dinner spot. Sydney and I became aware of the original 2011 plan when we worked together on a 2023 story about the future of Queensgate. One of the Enquirer's real estate development experts, Sydney had already been poking around Camp Washington for months, looking into what plans this old manufacturing neighborhood had to attract more investment and, in turn, more residents. Their end game? To become less of a destination known for its chili and an expanded sign museum, and more of a place where people want to live long term and raise a family. So we teamed up to interview officials involved in the Revive reboot, then divided up reporting from some of the impacted neighborhoods. Sydney focused on Camp Washington as part of the Hopple Street zone in the Revive plan, along with the West End, Downtown and Queensgate. I focused on the South Cumminsville-Northside zone, along with St. Bernard in the Mitchell Avenue area. The result is a look at what these neighborhoods want out of the Revive work, in advance of city decisions on what to tackle first. Think of the initiative as a giant wish list, full of ideas that could turn these areas into the next Walnut Hills. We think it's a pretty meaty (not fishy!!) look at what might be possible for often-neglected Cincinnati neighborhoods. Hear from them, in their own words, about what they want and need right now. Enterprise reporter Patricia Gallagher Newberry and development reporter Sydney Franklin are part of the Enquirer team that focuses on government, politics and business. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What is the city's Revive Cincinnati plan? Solve the daily Crossword
