Written by Troy A. Blades, President, Safe and Secure Enterprises, Inc.
Now that you have created a Church Security Response Team, what next?
Taking the first step in protecting the parish from active assailants and other violence by creating a security team is the hardest part. Now that you have volunteers, what’s next?
Who is in charge?
As in any team, you need a coach, a leader or captain. This individual will be the person that has the primary responsibility of planning and scheduling meetings and “leading” the security team. Making sure there is a leader to provide direction and report out to the board, the pastor, or the general congregation is important. Of course, bringing in the board, the Pastor and other leaders is very important, but having a team leader with a chain of command within the security team is a must. This person must have some type of training, experience of running a team and have the respect of the other volunteers as well as a personality that allows the team to grow. Remember, this team is voluntary, keeping volunteers is one of the most important responsibilities of this leader.
We have people at the doors so are we safe and secure?
Having security team members “guarding” the door is important. This will help solve for the problem of an active assailant that walks from their vehicle or from off property displaying a firearm, or the subject that is carrying a large duffel bag, if the door guard knows how to stop the assailant and how to communicate to others. Do you have communication tools to alert others on the team and do they know what they are supposed to do? Churches welcome everyone, so how does your team handle responding to an individual that comes to the service and you don’t know if they have a weapon or not? Do you pat them down immediately and remove them or not allow them in the building? What if they are in crisis? These are just a few things to think about.
What are you training for and how are you doing it?
Now that you have volunteers, you need to train with them. Conducting walkthroughs of the sanctuary, classrooms, perimeter of the building and the parking lots should be done together to identify hazards and unsafe conditions. Large rocks, lumber, pipes and anything else that could be used as a weapon or object of destruction (breaking windows, barricading doors, etc.) should be removed, if possible, to not only protect from the use in a violent attack, but also to protect from vandalism and potential safety issues, which are more likely to occur than an active shooter event. Now that you have clearly identified the layout, look to determine where you are going to set posts for your team. Will you have the security team engage all new folks, be overtly monitoring folks entering, or will they have multiple hats and be greeters, ushers and other duties as assigned, as well as security? If it is “other duties as assigned” how do you manage both successfully? Sometimes the ones that volunteer for greeting and ushering are also the only ones that are on the security team. How will you manage the security posture of the team when two or four team members are standing and walking around performing these duties? Understanding each person’s roles and responsibilities, as well as how you will cover open positions, is very important.
Hopefully I have provided some high-level thoughts for your church security team to consider. If you want a second opinion on your plans or need support to understand how your team responds, contact us.
Stay SAFE AND SECURE!
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