Church Security Answer Man

5 Major Incidents That We Are Reviewing: 78 year old female beaten when opening church for services Shooting of pastor and 2 others in Selma, Alabama church Nigel Barnes who steals purses from church offices 3 church employees embezzling from church over a 7 year period 74 year old female gardening at church, beaten and car stolen

Questions we ask and answer in today's podcast Do we need background checks on everyone? Who should we be doing background checks on? Where do I go for background checks? Why and Who should our ministry screen? How do I choose a background screening provider? What’s involved in the screening process? Is a check of my state’s sex offender registry enough? Do I need written permission to screen an employee/volunteer? Can I obtain a check on an employee or volunteer's driving records? Where can I find more information about background screening?

We can remove disruptive people. Churches are private property, open to the public. You can restrict or revoke a persons access to your property We can remove disruptive people - Preferring Screening people at the door and keeping them out is preferred We should train greeters and ushers to spot potential problems We should train in good communication skills We should try to avoid physical confrontation Don't be afraid to call 911 and get police responding Police are trained to deal with difficult people and these situations If a person interrupts our service - I believe we should press charges Don't be afraid, the law is on your side, that you can ask them to leave  

#1 Risk Assessments and Security Evaluations Internal risks involve threats that exist inside the institution’s campus or building. External risks are those that stem from the site’s physical location.     #2 Harden the Target   A strengthening of the security of an individual premise with the goal of reducing or minimizing potential criminal attack, risks, or vulnerabilities. #3 Protecting Financial Assets                                                                 Financial threats to a house of worship include the crimes of robbery, embezzlement, theft, and fraud. #4 is Protecting our Children and Youth Every Ministry should operate within policies and procedures that balance the mission of the ministry with the inherent risks associated with children’s programming #5  A Media Strategy or a Reputation Strategy No discussion of crisis response would be complete without addressing the need to be prepared to respond to inquiries from the media and the public. A “no comment” response is not consid

10 Practices to minimize theft of ministry monies 1. Rotation Volunteers and employees who help with counting the offering should be rotated on a regular basis.  No one should stay in the role indefinitely and the use of multiple, unrelated people will make it more difficult to skim dollars from the offering.    Routes should also be rotated…how do we take the money from collection in the auditorium to the office or counting room.  When it comes to rotation, also rotating who takes the money to the bank and the routes which they use to take the money to the bank.  2. Safes Cash and checks should be kept securely in a locked safe until it is delivered to the bank.  Get a safe with a drop slot so that it doesn’t require someone to open it to make a deposit into it.  Have a policy that the safe is only opened by two people and the combination is limited to a few people who do not have a key to the room the safe is kept.   3. Two-Person Rule The cash handling policy should have a strict two person rule, stating

  First thing we want to discuss is that the Incident Command System is "a systematic tool used for the command, control, and coordination of emergency response" and it is "a set of personnel, policies, procedures, facilities, and equipment, integrated into a common organizational structure designed to improve emergency response operations of all types and complexities.   ICS gets very technical and very in-depth……..I just want to talk about the basics today.   What you will encounter with incidents at your facilities, but also what you should be thinking about as far as structure goes with your own team.   In simple terms ICS means someone is in charge……and that person may change depending on when something happens and what is happening.   Who is responding as part of your team or who from our community emergency response system is responding?  If you have a medical emergency during your service…….hopefully a doctor or nurse is in attendance…..you may also have a police officer in attendance and then you as

  A. What is your role?   1.Appear calm, centered and self-assured even though you don’t feel it. Relax facial muscles and look confident. Your anxiety can make the person feel anxious and unsafe and that can escalate aggression.   2.Use a modulated, low monotonous tone of voice (our normal tendency is to have a high pitched, tight voice when scared).   3.If you have time, remove necktie, scarf, hanging jewelry, (not in front of him/her)   4.Do not be defensive-even if the comments or insults are directed at you, they are not about you. Do not defend yourself or anyone else from insults, curses or misconceptions about their roles.   5.Be aware of any resources available for back up. Know that you have the choice to leave, tell the person to leave or call the police should de-escalation not be effective   6.Be very respectful even when firmly setting limits or calling for help. The agitated individual is very sensitive to feeling shamed and disrespected. We want him/her to know that it is not necessary to show

So I always want to start out these type of discussions reminding us about balance.  We have to have balance between a safe and secure environment for our people, families and ministry staff and a friendly and welcoming environment.  So you may have a ministry leader that talks about being “low key” on security or a leader who talks about scaring off people with too much of a security presence.   I want to say that even though I am very big on the idea of needing some security for our ministries, I am a definite supporter of balance.  When I train church security personnel in seminars I always mention that fact that I think for most churches, security should be a plain clothes team that is not detected, trained as much as they can, with a solid plan of operation.  Having a solid operation is key in my mind.  What I mean by that is that I challenge myself and my team often enough that when something happens I handle it or we handle it.   If someone stands up and interrupts the ministry service, you or your tea

  The first thing that I think is necessary to mention is that a sexual predator or pedophile does not have a certain look….they don’t stand out in looks in fact they generally look like the rest of us a fit in pretty well.  In fact they are typically a kind and helpful person.  They are encouraging and they are there when you need them.   Now I am not an expert in the detection, conduct, treatment or recidivism rates of Sexual predators, but I do know the things I am aware of because of my law enforcement experiences and knowledge and studies. So lets talk about what to look for.   Studies and testimony from pedophiles show that they generally begin with an act of grooming a child.    They spend time, energy and maybe even money to get children and their parents often times to feel comfortable with the situation between them and the child.     After trust is established then the predator will become a little more risky or intrusive….pushing the limits a bit if you will, so that they can test boundaries.   

  So how should we be preparing to use our concealed weapons……one of the first things I tend to note with people is often times we don’t want to talk about how much we practice with our firearms.  When is the last time you have practiced with your firearm?   Or how about the folks that you consider to be part of your security team……or the ones you are thinking about making part of your team…..we all carry these firearms and when are we actually practicing with them?   What scares me is when I hear some pastors say that they know people carry concealed weapons in the congregation and those people will take care of anyone who comes into the church shooting. Now here is what I want us all to consider, whether you are the one carrying a concealed weapon, or you are the one asking people to carry a concealed weapon or you are the ministry leader who says my congregation has concealed weapons and will take care of it if something goes wrong…….think about this for a minute with me…..when something goes wrong how eas

  Churches are very visible within our cultures and within our communities, and at certain times of the week a lot of our community members are all gathered in one location for our ministries.   This adds to the idea that at times churches are easy targets which if attacked could affect a large part of our community.   Most ministries also have an open door policy,  you allow all people to attend your services and in fact are seeking out people often times who are already in crisis.   Some other things that add to the seriousness are that we live in a violent world, there are violent people out there that will harm you and today there seems to be less and less fear of consequences.  As I eluded to earlier people like the notoriety they get from creating danger, damage and hurting people, in fact their goal often times is to hurt large numbers of people.   A lot of negative community emotions can be linked to these incidents the more people they affect.  So I would propose even further that the better prepared

One of the first areas when we discuss crime prevention would be “break ins” to your church.   Typically we do not alarm our buildings or churches, we have a lot of people in and out, so security of doors and windows is not very good.  And you have electronics and other valuables which are great targets for thieves.   So here is one area to look at for increasing our safety.   Looking at facilities people who tend to be the last person out, task them with doing a perimeter check, checking doors and windows.    Do you have janitorial people that work late, can you educate them a bit more in security principals and ask them to “patrol” the perimeter of the building once in a while. Next…..money money money….and maybe this segment should be appropriately titled “don’t show me the money”.    Money handling should be a big crime prevention focus we have in our churches.   There is money that is missing, robbed or stolen much too often from our Ministries.   Do your ministry members take money home to count it and

  Schizophrenia - General Indicators •Breakdown of personality   •Withdrawal from reality   •Distortion of thought   (absurd, illogical, bizarre)   •Hallucinations;   Sight, Smell, Hearing   •Auditory problems;  “God (Voices in my head) told me….”   •Delusions; False beliefs with no reality, grandeur   •Delusions and behavior is Anxiety and Suspiciousness   •Excessively religious   •Frequent hostile or aggressive behavior Bipolar Disorder (Depressive) Indicators   •Lasting sad, anxious or empty mood   •Feeling hopelessness and/or guiltand fatigued   •Loss of interest in their normal activities   •Chronic pain – Persistent body problems/symptoms   •Thoughts of death, suicide or suicide attempts   •Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions   •Change in appetite – Unintended weight loss   •Sleep too much or not at all   •Talking fast, irritable and increased increase in energy   •Excessive alcohol or drug abuse   •Denies that anything is wrong Do's or Should Do's   •Mentally ILL people are PEOPLE

  April 22, 2014 –  On Tuesday, April 22, 2014 a funeral was being held at the Galilee Baptist Church in Trenton, New Jersey.   The funeral was for 19 year old Cagney Roberts who had been shot to death on April 9th in a street shooting.  Hundreds of people were in attendance at the church for the funeral.  Just after noon, As the sermon in the sanctuary was about to begin, gunfire could be heard outside the church.   Police reports say that shooters opened fire in front of the church injuring 3 people.   During this chaos there was also one person who was trampled as people were fleeing the church.   April 9, 2014 – In Cicero, Illinois a man who served as an authority figure within the roles of Youth Minister, Church Photographer and a Teacher at the church is accused of engaging in sexual conduct with several juvenile boys within the church between the ages of 9 and 17.  As the information is coming out it is alleged that this misconduct took place over 6 years and in numerous locations including his own apa

In this episode we are going to discuss different training suggestions for your security personnel.   What courses should we offer to make sure they are prepared both for protecting us but also training that covering our liabilities. So the first topic I believe you should focus on is making sure that all members who you are considering as part of the security team, need to have training on what leadership wants and what the policies of the ministry are, what some of you might also call an orientation.    How do you want them to handle medical situations, how do you want them to handle disruptions or crimes within the church ministry.       You would also want to make sure they know your direction on domestic violence issues, disruptive issues, how to handle suspicious people around the service areas, and how you would like your personnel to interact with law enforcement when something more serious happens. Next I would suggest that we have to discuss in detail “use of force” issues.  There needs to be some d

  In this episode we are going to discuss different options for armed security for your church.          Those 4 options include; Off-duty or previously employed and trained law enforcement personnel.  Your own personnel or Internal Security Staff, Contracted outside security officers, and the concealed carrying members of the congregation. The first option for discuss is a great option.  The people with the best training and most current knowledge for armed security options would be any of the already attending law enforcement officers to your services.     The next option for discussion is having your own security staff or volunteers internally.  This option is certainly one that you can track and control more, especially with maintaining a balance between the ministry and the security operation.   When you take on this option however keep in mind you take on the regulations, the screening, supervision, training and all of the liability.           The next option for you to consider is hirin