Join our email list to receive valuable free training content Gear & Equipment Recommendations:
Recommended Reading List:
Transcript:
1. Start a Conversation About Security at your Church
The first step to creating a culture of safety and security is talking about it. Ask your Pastor or church leaders if there is a program in place and let them know you're interested in helping.
2. Create a single point of entry into your church.
This makes it easier to see who is entering your building and makes if harder for someone who wants to slip in unnoticed.
3. Monitor your unlocked entry and parking lot.
A large percentage of incidents start in the parking lot of Churches or Houses of Worship. By having a person or couple people to monitor these areas will give you an early warning should a situation start to develop.
4. Identify Training Professionals in your Congregation.
Look for trained professionals in Law Enforcement, Private Security, Medical Professionals and Active duty or prior military members. Talk to them about helping out in an emergency and see if they would be willing to volunteer their time and talents.
5. Assign roles to volunteers
Assigning roles to people before an incident happens lays the ground work for an organized response. Who will call 911, who will be a first responder to the incident? These are just a few of the questions that will be answered by assigning roles. Consider establishing a formal Church Safety & Security Ministry.
6. Establish a way to Communicate
Two way radios and PTT apps are a great way to quickly contact your volunteers. I favor an app called Zello its free and works on IOS and Android devices. Pair it with a bluetooth earbud for privacy and you are all set.
7. Get a list of the crimes in your area
Your local Law Enforcement agency should be able to provide you with a list of crimes that happened near your area. A lot of agencies make this information publicly available through their GIS websites.
8. Search the Department of Justice NSOPW Sex offender registry for your area.
As they say knowing is half the battle. You can search the Department of Justice NSOPW website to see what offenders are in your area. Some may live closer than you might think. The website provides the offenders picture, address, and information about their offense(s). Share relevant information with appropriate staff and volunteers.
9.Schedule the Department of Homeland Security to do an Assessment of your Church.
Churches are considered critical infrastructure an as such the DHS will come to your Church and conduct a vulnerability assessment for you. They will provide you with commendations or things you doing good, as well as recommendations for those areas that need improvement. You can use their assessment as a road map to continue improving your churches security.
10. Resources to Protect your House of Worship
The Department of Homeland Security and Fema have put together a free resource guide to help you. Visit the website and read through the materials they offer and consider implementing additional precautions.
Join our email list to receive valuable free training content
#churchsecurity #churchsafety #churchsecuritytraining
0 Comments