Let’s Work Together

Recent developments have caused us to take a look at the security of our local places of worship with regards to target hardening and safety practices. No precaution is guaranteed to prevent tragedy but here are some steps we can take in order to reduce risk and possibly save lives at your church.

 Work with your local police department

 Sit down with representatives of your police department and speak with them regarding their policies on addressing active shooters so you know what to expect from them. Most Police Departments have adopted an "active shooter" philosophy. This involves officers on patrol forming up quickly, moving in, and addressing a threat immediately, with lethal force if necessary, to neutralize a shooter quickly before an organized evacuation or the arrival of a “SERT” team can take place

·        Designate a church member or members to meet with the police and review their strategy for responding to a shooting or other intruder in your building during gatherings

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·        Educate your congregation on the church's policies for responding to an emergency through a brochure or a segment of your new member's orientation.

• Don’t have one? Local Police will help you develop one.

Inform the police of any knowledge of existing threats; include anyone against whom church a member has a restraining order. 

·        Having police officers and church members on the same page is crucial

 Create an overview of your facility for police

·        Blueprints and photos of every room in the church, which police, at a command center, can use to guide officers as they secure the church building

·        Emergency contact information for the church pastor and property manager

·        Keys to outside areas, classrooms, office and storage doors

·        Where are shut off points for gas, water, and electricity

·        Designated rally points for families (Sunday school classes separate from worship area?)

 Create a lockdown policy

Most, if not all police departments have an active shooter policy. A lockdown may be the best way to protect the segment of your congregation that is in the building during a shooting while the police address the shooter. Don’t know where to begin? Your local Police will help you develop a policy based on your building layout and how members of your church congregate. 

 Prevent an incident

·        Your ushers can play a big role in safety.   

·        After services begin, an activated bright light shining from inside toward the entrance as someone walks in can give an usher enough time to react as the shooter has to adjust to the light.

Situational Crime Expert, Ronald Clarke, offers the following steps for avoiding

An Active-Shooter Incident.

·        Increase effort. If a shooter plans an attack on your church, he will likely arrive after the service begins. Make it difficult for an intruder to enter your church unnoticed and take a seat wherever he wants. A simple step forward in this area involves closing sanctuary doors once a service begins and training ushers to meet latecomers and guide them to designated seating areas.

·        Increase early identification. A person approaching your building with a gun drawn is an obvious threat. However, other signs, such as a person's appearance or body language, can alert an astute usher to danger also. Ushers, greeters, or church staff can identify a threat by monitoring entrances via surveillance cameras, well-placed windows, or simply by extending a personal greeting to any person who looks suspicious.

·        Reduce risk. Create visual or lighting obstructions, isolating threats from the body of believers. This is where a lockdown policy is most effective, because it separates and protects the congregation from the gunman.

·        Reduce provocation. Set guidelines for denying access to people who are unstable, agitated, angry, or intoxicated. Train ushers to identify the warning signs of such a person, and coach them to deny access firmly, but respectfully. These warning signs include people who are talking to themselves, or are otherwise belligerent. If a pastor has a counselee who is particularly troubled, a head usher can be recruited to show extra attention to that person if he arrives at the church.

If a Shooter Gets In. It is critical for leaders to be decisive. If the gunman targets a pastor or some other leader, those most visible should draw attention away from the congregation. If the shooter targets the congregation, direct confrontation is essential. This is dangerous, but you can improve your chances by distracting the shooter. Weaken his shooting ability by throwing hymnals, yelling from multiple directions, and tackling him from behind.

If the shooter does not penetrate deep into the sanctuary and is shooting randomly, take cover behind a pew, pillar, or balcony. Most shooters will be well armed and intend to inflict maximum damage. Recognizing the grave danger, church leaders and members of a crisis team can save lives by closing the gap between themselves and the shooter and overwhelming him.

Once a shooting begins, establish communication with the police as soon as possible. Avoid chaos by assigning only people on your crisis response team to call 911. Police will want to know the number of shooters, location of suspects, types of weapons, possible traps or explosives, immediacy of threat, and location of sensitive areas such as Sunday schools or nurseries. The emergency dispatcher will instruct the caller to stay on the line in order to provide real-time information to police on the scene.

When police arrive, stay on the ground until you are told to move. People have a built-in urge to run for safety. But movement creates confusion and complicates the situation for police. When you do get up, avoid sudden movements or any object in your hand that could be construed as a threat.

How to Plan in Advance

Every church should be prepared by appointing a crisis response team consisting of several people with police, military, or medical training. Choose people for this group who will avoid sensationalizing or trivializing your church's potential for attack.  Meet with your police department periodically and inform us of church activities where large groups of people will congregate from weekly mass to annual picnics. 

   We are looking forward to meeting with you and discussing this matter.

Peace Be With You