Protecting America’s Houses of Worship, Schools, Facilities: A National Model

Houses of worship throughout America, as well as religious schools and facilities, must have a welcoming and serene environment, but this must always be balanced with sound security measures.

It is a different world and not making efforts to enhance security in houses of worship is naïve, irresponsible, and irrational.

Our houses of worship are sacred places of prayer where we exercise our constitutional and human right to pray.

Yet, we must be realistic, blending the spiritual with the practical, and do everything possible to protect our houses of worship.

All who seek solace, peace, and community within their hallowed halls deserve our leadership, vigilance, and commitment to protect them.

Violence Against America’s Sacred Places

Here are just a few of America’s violent tragedies violating our houses of worship, and profaning all that is sacred:

Hanukkah Celebration at Rabbi’s Home, Monsey, New York: A man stabbed five people on Dec. 29, 2019 as they gathered at a rabbi's in a New York City suburb to celebrate Hanukkah. The New York governor called the attack an act of domestic terrorism fueled by intolerance.

West Freeway Church of Christ, Texas: On Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, a man shot and killed two worshippers during church services before being killed by members of the security team.

Nationwide Anti-Mosque Activity: According to a December 2019 published report by the ACLU, anti-Muslim sentiment has spiked especially in states especially New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Washington, and California.

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC: Washington authorities apprehended a suspect in an incident involving a Dec. 10, 2019 attack against two security guards at the Basilica, the largest Catholic Church in America, at the height of its busiest season.

Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting: A mass shooting killing eleven and wounding six on Oct. 27, 2018 at the Tree of Life – or L’Simcha Congregation. Prior to the tragedy, the demented shooter posted anti-Semitic comments online.

Sutherland Springs, Texas Church: At least 26 people were killed on Nov. 5, 2017 in this shooting. About 20 others were wounded, said Freeman Martin, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety, with victims ranging in age from 5 to 72 years old. Among the dead was the 14-year-old daughter of the First Baptist Church's pastor.

Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, Tennessee: On Sept. 25, 2017, a man armed with three handguns and a rifle arrived at the church. He began indiscriminately shooting and seven people were wounded.

Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church: This mass shooting on June 17, 2015, in Charleston, South Carolina, involved nine African Americans, including the senior pastor, State Senator Clementa C. Pinckney being killed during a Bible study. Three other victims survived. This church is one of the oldest black churches in the United States, and has long been a center for civil rights causes.

Overland Park Jewish Community Center and Village Shalom Retirement Center: A white supremacist was killed three people at two Jewish centers on Apr. 13, 2014, outside Kansas City, Kansas.

Sikh Temple of Wisconsin: On Aug. 5, 2012, a deranged Army veteran killed six people and then himself at a Sikh temple outside Milwaukee.

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church: On July 27, 2008, a man opened fire at a Unitarian Universalist church in Knoxville, Tennessee, killing two people and wounding several others. The shooter targeted the church because “of its liberal teachings and his belief that all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country,” according to a police document.

Houses of Worship: Security Practices

A U.S. Department of Homeland Security document titled “Houses of Worship Security Practices Guide” released in May, 2013 deserves attention.
The document notes that there are approximately 345,000 religious congregations in America. These consist of about 150 million members from more than 230 denominational groups.

The guide stresses that the first step to developing a comprehensive plan for a religious facility is to identify threats and vulnerabilities.

According to the guide, the threats include natural hazards, accidents, targeted violence, improvised explosive devices (IED’s), vehicle-borne explosive devices (VBIED’s), arson, chemical or biological attacks, assassination, or kidnapping.

The guide continues with the importance of having a threat assessment team comprised with a combination of facility personnel, members involved with services, mental health professionals, and emergency responders.

This document is outstanding and should be a resource for training staff and enhancing security measures.

The guide also includes details on prevention, protection, mitigation, preparedness, and recovery.

Recommended Best Practices: ASIS International

The collaboration of our houses of worship, law enforcement, and private security should include learning implementing Recommended Best Practices for Securing Houses of Worship by ASIS International including the following:

• Report suspicious packages to police, and do not touch any suspicious package. Develop a suspicious package protocol with instructions on reporting to police as well as not touching or moving the item. Address this issue in emergency evacuation procedures.
• Request local law enforcement presence during high volume worship times and holiday celebrations.
• Include law enforcement in your security planning process.
• Consider hiring off-duty police officers as part of your security program.

Simply stated, a word to the wise urging vigilance: “To be forewarned is to be forearmed.”

Security Countermeasures

A robust security program must be comprehensive, proactive, and continually updated. Security must never be piecemeal, negligent, or have its importance minimized.

Approaches to security in houses of worship, as well as in workplaces, schools, campuses, and facilities, must include the following:

Security Vulnerability Assessments: These are best when conducted by board-certified, reputable, and experienced public safety professionals in order to identify and evaluate areas of risk. The board certification of Certified Protection Professional (CPP) by ASIS International is a statement of professionalism, competence, and credibility. Assessments must include interviews with all associated with the facility including employees, administration, security, visitors, worshippers, and maintenance personnel.

Background Checks/Investigations: This is an essential due diligence countermeasure that prevents hiring individuals who do not deserve employment or access. Checks must be made by qualified, licensed professionals who honor laws conducting background checks. Background checks can include criminal history reports, drug testing, motor vehicle driving records, credit checks, liens and judgments, sexual offender registries, employment, and professional credential verification's.

Investigations that include surveillance, interviewing, and information sources by experienced, conscientious, and ethical professionals are critical to protecting public and private enterprises.

Training: A critical component of security and safety is ongoing training that includes personal safety, substance abuse awareness, domestic violence, diversity, conflict resolution, ethics, situational awareness, Internet security, workplace violence, fire prevention, crisis management, emergency preparedness, first aid / CPR, loss prevention, economic crime, crime prevention, drills, evacuations, sexual harassment, and warning signs.

Warning Signs: Warning signs are critical to violence prevention. We must recognize warning signs and provide the necessary intervention, training, health care, and security measures necessary to prevent tragedies.

Physical Security: This involves countermeasures preventing unauthorized access. Countermeasures include fencing, bollards, barrier arms, card access systems, ID cards, lighting, crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), defense in depth programs, locks, alarms, fire extinguishers, Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), mass communication systems, and metal detectors.

Personnel Security: Certified, well-trained, and licensed security officer programs involving reputable contract or in-house professionals including armed and unarmed personnel. It is essential that training exceed the status quo criteria, and is on-going. Training must also be motivational and customized accordingly. It is essential that security personnel contracts are carefully evaluated so individuals are properly certified, and paid a fair share of the billing costs.

Comparable to the SRO program (School Resource Officer) for American schools, it is highly recommended that a HWSO program (House of Worship Security Officer) be implemented in communities nationwide.

Procedural Security: Drills deserve planning and evaluation with table-top exercises. It is also essential to conduct partial and full-scale drills based on numerous possible scenarios. These must be complemented by the expertise and involvement of law enforcement, private security professionals, and first-responders.

Essential to training and drills is the Active Shooter program detailed on the FBI website titled RUN, HIDE, FIGHT.

Informational/Cybersecurity: In this age of instantaneous global data at the fingertips of individuals across the globe, some with nefarious intentions, protecting information is vital to security.

Informational security must be effective and continually updated with ongoing training for personnel that empowers them with preventive techniques. This protects companies from breaches of information through the Internet, Ransomware, dumpster diving, and social engineering and can prevent unnecessary turmoil.

Anti-Defamation League Practical Tips

The following are some exemplary practices by the ADL, not only for Jewish institutions but applicable to other places of worship. Remember, global and local events may impact security and remain proactive.

1. Make safety and security part of the culture of your institution, involving staff, leadership and constituents.
2. Designate a member of your staff to serve as a security manager.
3. Designate a member of your staff (who may be different from the security manager) to serve as an emergency/incident manager and designate a backup in the event of this person’s absence.
4. Create security plans, regularly assess risks, and revisit your security plans to update them accordingly. It is important to be proactive in preparing for potential security scenarios.
5. Meet and develop relationships with public safety officials, including police, fire, and EMS.
6. Provide regular security training to all staff and volunteer leaders. Run regular safety and security exercises, reviewing how to respond to different scenarios.
7. Establish procedures for controlling access into your facility.

Final Reflections

America’s law enforcement, in collaboration with private security professionals and houses or worship
demand leadership.

All of us must continually build bridges with communities through the concept of shared responsibility.

We must remain vigilant as these are challenging times. The principles of security recommended in this article serve as the foundation for security in houses of worship nationwide.

Our houses of worship represent the bedrock of America’s freedom of religion, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The nation’s sacred spaces deserve our dedication, unity of effort, vigilance, and leadership.

We must all serve as catalysts to protect our workplaces, schools, communities, public spaces, and houses of worship.

Public safety demands visionary leadership as well as vigilance, and collaboration.

Security demands proactive threat assessments by board certified professionals, comprehensive ongoing enhancements (physical, personnel, procedural, cyber), continual training and certifications, effective response to warning signs, and building partnerships with law enforcement, private security professionals, and every member of the community.

About the Author

Vincent J. Bove, CPP, is a national speaker and author of 275 published articles on issues critical to America. Bove is recipient of the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award, and is former confident of the New York Yankees. He served as spokesperson for a coalition of victim’s families of the Virginia Tech tragedy. His most recent books are Reawakening America and Listen To Their Cries. For more information see twitter @vincentjbove

Related Articles on Protecting Houses of Worship by Vincent J. Bove:

Safeguarding Houses of Worship, Protecting Communities, Personal Safety

Vanquishing Intolerance, Bigotry, Discrimination After Hatred Is Unleashed

America’s Houses of Worship Require Enhanced Security

Carnage of Innocents in America Demands Moral Courage

Protecting NYC Houses of Worship: A National Model

Sanctuary Profaned: Protecting America’s Houses of Worship

America, Wake Up: Harden Your Soft Targets

Note Well: This article was Published / The Chief of Police, Winter 2020, Vol. XXXV, No. 4, and in The New York State Police Chiefs Chronicle, June 2020 edition.

Also published as: Protecting NYC Houses of Worship: A National Model, Security Director Magazine, ASIS International, Spring 2018, and Epoch Times, May 22, 2018.

Photos:

1. NYPD presence at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Fifth Avenue, NYC, Feb. 28, 2015 (Vincent J. Bove)
2. NYPD posted at NYC Synagogue. (Courtesy NYPD)
3. Islamic Center, Washington DC, (Public Domain/Carol M. Highsmith)
4. NYPD presence at Temple Emanuel, Fifth Avenue, NYC. (Courtesy NYPD Twitter)
5. NYPD counterterrorism officers, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Fifth Avenue, NYC. (Courtesy NYPD Twitter)
6. The Chief of Police Magazine, Cover Story by Vincent J. Bove, Terrorism Concerns Accelerate: Protecting America, Spring 2015 edition.

Note Well: Information within this article is considered public domain by Vincent J. Bove Publishing, to assist with safeguarding America. Kindly attribute references to author and article Protecting America's Houses of Worship: A National Model. Usage of photos although also public domain, also deserves attribution to applicable sources as noted.