Shooter in the ChurchA police officer's advice on how to prevent, and react to, a gunman at church.Andrew G. Mills| Topics: | Church safety, Communication, Crime, Operations, Policies, Security |
| Filters: | Church board, Facility management, Greeter, Pastor, Usher |
| References: | Psalm 5:11 |
| Date Added: | August 08, 2007 |
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Churches are notorious for minimal security. And while acts of violence at church are rare, recent shootings at churches and schools beg the question: What can leaders do to protect their people? Based on experience in the pulpit and on the police force, here are four steps you can take to reduce risk—and possibly save lives—at your church.
Step 1: Work with local policeLearn their plans and capabilities. Most police agencies have adopted an "active shooter" philosophy. This involves forming up quickly, moving in, and removing a threat with lethal force, all before an organized evacuation, or the arrival of a SWAT team or negotiators. What does this mean for your church if an "active shooter" crisis occurs?
- Designate one of your church leaders to meet with the police and review their strategy for responding to a shooting in your building.
- Educate your congregation on your church's policies for responding to an emergency, perhaps through a brochure or a segment of your new member's class.
Step 2: Create a survey of your facility for policeInclude in your overview:
- Blueprints and photos (digital and hard-copy) 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, property manager, medical personnel, and members of the church's crisis-response team
- Keys to outside and classroom doors
- Shut off points for gas, water, and electricity
- Designated rally points for families and medical triage
- Any knowledge of existing threats, including anyone against whom the church or a member has a restraining order
Step 3: Create a lockdown policyIf your local police department has 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, but outside the immediate vicinity of the shooter. During a lockdown, certain areas of the church are required to shut, lock, and barricade their doors until police arrive. Those inside during a lockdown should stay away from windows and leave room lights on to ease the police team's search. A lockdown removes the chaos and confusion of an unplanned evacuation, but before instituting such a policy:
- Determine which church leaders can order a lockdown and under what circumstances.
- Identify who can enter protected areas (such as the nursery), and how or if parents can retrieve children during a lockdown.
- Provide telephones or intercoms that allow each lockdown area to communicate outside the building.
Step 4: Prevent an incidentSituational crime expert Ronald Clarke coined these 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.
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Allen Gregory
I would encourage all wh use this article to begin (or enhance) a cngregaion's emrgency planning to spcifically add other parts of the building and other aspects of their ministris. While the gathering i the Sunday morning worshp center is certainlya key risk, how are thse steps best adapted in each ofour settngs for: Sunday School classrooms, youth events, Scouting meetings, etc. Weekday prschools or parents-day-out. Choir rehearsals and other small group meetings. Staff only in the building, etc.
Keith Michaels
This is an excellent article. It gave me information that I had not thought of in the past.
Anonymous
Very good article. There will always be concerns on both sides of the subject. We (our church) have started getting our ducks in a row just like we did when it came time to safe guard our children, requiring back ground checks for workers, two person team, etc. We must do all we can to protect the people who attend the church. If you are wondering where to start please consider visiting www.churchsecurityalliance.com
Bryan Donihue
@Jeanne: Can you point to a link of those studies? Of the two incidents you mentioned, Virginia Tech has a no weapons policy already, and that didn't stop the shooter - only stopped potential good guys. At the Tuscon event, the shooter was not stopped by law enforcement, but by regular citizens, one of whom was a CCW holder. And going further back, the shootings at Young Life and the associated mega church in Denver (can't remember the name) were stopped by a VOLUNTEER, non-leo, who received permission from the pastor to carry in the church. And the shooting in Illinois, the shooter was stopped by an unarmed usher. In all reality, the shooters are not often stopped by on duty law enforcement, instead, they either are stopped by a non-leo, or by killing themselves. As a former leo (law enforcement officer), and a current safety director for my church, if legal, and if the civilians are of the right mindset and training, I have no problem with armed safety personnel.
Jeanne Devine
Repeated studies by law enforcement agencies after tragic shootings, such as the ones at Virginia Tech and in Tucson, Arizona last month, counteract the idea that armed individuals can offer protection and do a better job than law enforcement. In a simulation, armed students failed to take down the shooter but succeeded in shooting their classmates. In Tucson, an armed citizen was about to shoot when he realized his intended target wasn't the perpetrator. I wouldn't trust any church members except law enforcement officers to handle a weapon wisely in a crisis.
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