As thousands of members gather in Salt Lake City for the 196th General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Salt Lake City Police Department has increased security measures in and around meetinghouses and event locations. Additional officers have been deployed, and the department is coordinating with local businesses and partners to respond quickly to any incidents.

The heightened precautions follow a series of incidents over the past year that affected worship sites, including a shooting and arson attack on a meetinghouse in Michigan that killed four people and injured nine others. Other reported incidents included vandalism, property damage and threats at meetinghouses in Idaho, Utah, Alberta, Canada and the Dominican Republic.

Salt Lake City Police Sergeant Josh Ashtown said the department has prepared for the annual event by increasing officers on duty and coordinating with local businesses and partners.

“General Conference is something that we have been working with security and the businesses in the area for many years now. We bring in extra officers for support, and we work closely with all those partners in the area. We pay attention to the regular security measures, anything that’s suspicious. We ask people to call in if they see anything suspicious, and we have people in the area that can respond quickly and immediately if anything comes up,” he said.

The Church encourages attendees to use public transit due to the influx of people traveling to the Temple Square area, especially amid ongoing renovations, which are not expected to be completed until early 2027. Previously, General Conferences were held over two days and five sessions, but Church leadership announced in November that the Saturday evening session would be eliminated. Police encourage attendees and the public to follow posted safety guidelines and report any suspicious activity at local meetinghouses