As we approach the holiday season, you are likely gearing up for an increase in activity and attendance at your services and special events. As you plan for that flurry of activity, it is important to keep up your guard. More people and more frequent use of your facility during this time of year means you must pay greater attention to security and plan for potential emergencies.
Here are areas you should always focus on, especially when your house of worship sees heavy usage:
Planning and training
The first step is to have an emergency preparedness and response plan in place. Loop in local response agencies to partner in organizational planning. Share facility maps, contact information and copies of your plan with them, so they can provide effective support.
You should train staff, volunteers, and members on executing your emergency response plan. Conduct drills and invite local authorities to participate. You can benefit from the expertise of law enforcement and emergency response professionals, who can provide valuable insights to improve your security.
If the coordination of a full-scale drill seems daunting, a tabletop drill may be easier to accomplish. Gather a team of no more than 15 people to participate in the exercise—none of whom helped prepare the drill. Your pastor and other leaders in your church should attend to observe and evaluate the exercise.
Access
During services and events, limit and monitor entrance points to your facility. When you have a large number of people in your church, consider leaving only the front door unlocked provided that all exit doors are equipped with push bars or panic hardware. To ease evacuation in an emergency, clearly identify all exits and keep all paths to exits free of obstructions.
Houses of worship often need to provide keys not only to staff members, but also to volunteers. Have a written policy about who may receive a key, and how you will get it back when a keyholder leaves the organization. You do not want to run the risk of a disgruntled former employee or volunteer using their access to steal, vandalize or harm others in the building.
Do background checks on anyone who handles your security. Additionally, anyone in a position to know the location of your safe and its key should also pass a background check.
Exterior lighting and maintenance
Keep grounds and entrances well lit. Regularly inspect, maintain, and repair all lighting. Criminals take advantage of dark areas, so even a burned-out bulb in your outdoor lighting creates an opportunity. Assign someone to regularly check your grounds for damaged lights or areas that may provide cover for a criminal. Keep vegetation trimmed back from windows and entrances to limit hiding places for those with criminal intent.
Key contacts checklist
In an emergency, it is important to quickly contact those who need to know about the situation. Make sure names, phone numbers and email addresses of key contacts are current, and the list is easily accessible and stored in multiple locations.
What is your approach to security?
Most organizations need a formal security team in place. Before you implement a security team, however, you need to consider your options:
- Unarmed volunteer security team – Organize volunteers and/or employees and ask them to watch for suspicious behavior, de-escalate non-violent incidents and alert people in your facilities to danger. This option can be effective in protecting your people while minimizing your risk and liability.
- Armed volunteer security team – This option typically carries the greatest risk, as your organization will be held responsible and liable for the actions of the team. To go this route requires a significant amount of planning, training, and management.
- Hired local law enforcement – This method provides you with highly trained security who are experienced in handling a weapon in high-intensity situations while following reasonable use of force standards. Local law enforcement will often assume liability for their actions.
- Private security contractors – Make sure your contract ensures they will assume liability for their actions and ensure the contractor is adequately insured and lists your organization as an additional insured on their policy. You must also thoroughly vet the contractor to verify their training standards comply with applicable laws.
Keep in mind, if people are carrying a weapon on behalf of your organization, your organization may be exposed to additional liability. If you choose any armed security option, you must contact your insurer to ensure the appropriate insurance coverages are in place.
Armed intruder preparedness
Potential incidents you should plan for include one we do not want to think about – the possibility of an armed intruder. In a survey Church Mutual conducted last year, more than half of respondents said their top safety concern when attending events is an armed intruder or physical violence. Armed intruder incidents happen with shocking frequency and houses of worship have been targeted.
Look for warning signs of possible violence, particularly before hosting a big event. The best way to protect everyone who attends and staffs an event is to prevent an incident from happening in the first place.
A potential armed intruder may show warning signs well before taking violent actions, and it is vital to not ignore them. Red flags may include acts of insubordination, exhibiting signs of mental health issues, making threatening statements or stalking.
Ways you can identify and prepare for potential threats before an event include:
- Monitoring social media – People who are planning a violent attack will sometimes make their intentions known well in advance. Pay close attention to all social media channels. You can even enter your church’s name in the channel’s search function to find posts that mention it.
- Reviewing physical security measures – Assess critical systems such as locks, security cameras, lighting, alarms, gates, and doors to ensure everything is fully functional before the event.
- Enabling anonymous reporting –Armed intruders often tell someone about their plans before following through. Provide a means for these people to alert others without fearing consequences. You can create a web-based form that members of the public may use to report suspicious events or conversations. This could be your best tool for preventing a catastrophic event.
Your house of worship should be a safe haven for all who enter. Taking proper precautions and remaining vigilant during this busiest time of the year will go a long way toward ensuring the safety of you, your staff, volunteers, and everyone you serve.
About the Author
Eric Spacek is Assistant Vice President – Risk Control, Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I.
