Church Safety, Security, and Emergency Procedures (part 2 of 5)

Posted on January 29, 2016 Written by

Safety

Safety measures are most effective when several layers exist (overlapping systems which support each other). Note: Using the term “safety” more often than the word “security” is wise, because “safety” has a positive connotation; “security” has the potential to imply a threat.

 

Suggested “layers” or systems for safety can include:

  • Use biometrics (fingerprint) check-in systems at stations for all children ages birth through fifth grade (preschool and elementary areas). Alternatives like bar-codes or cards can be used, but those are easily forgotten or left at home (not as consistently secure). These systems using bio-metrics can use a parent’s fingerprint to generate a paper stub containing a lot of information pertinent to the child (information initially entered by the parent or a staff member). The church can configure the information according to its needs. Once check-in stations are active, the stub system should be mandatory and used every time preschoolers and children go to their classes for programming.
  • Use a beeper/buzzer system for all pre-verbal children (usually birth through age two) to allow parents to be summoned quickly if necessary. Beepers are personal, private, and easy for a parent to hear/see in order to respond. These can also be helpful for older children with special needs who may have communication issues.

NOTE: Investigate smartphone options/apps which might address some or all of these needs. This technology is rapidly developing and should be regularly considered in light of the new options available.

  • Install safety cameras to monitor all hallways and exit doors, angled to view people as they leave the church/area. Do not draw attention to them; people who potentially seek to do harm will notice their presence. Average churchgoers might be alarmed or perceive danger if you raise their awareness.

 

Lead On!

Steve

 

Filed Under: buildings, church safety, church security, facilities Tagged: , , ,

Church Safety, Security, and Emergency Procedures (part 1 of 5)

Posted on January 22, 2016 Written by

EN7AWY4OEB

Safety and security policies are critical in the church. Establishing and following these procedures will:

  • Take steps toward protecting people (especially children) from people intending to do harm to others,
  • Take preventative steps toward protecting people from a natural disaster or event with the potential to cause harm, and
  • Help protect the church from potential litigation stemming from incidents in which these procedures are necessary (without such a policy, the church is more vulnerable).
  • Unify members and staff in an effort to promote, practice, and provide funding for procedures that ensure peace of mind for all members and guests.

 

Lead On!

Steve

 

Filed Under: buildings, church safety, church security, facilities Tagged: , , ,

Using Ushers in Emergencies (part 2 of 2)

Posted on May 26, 2015 Written by

Here’s an idea to help your ushers know what to do when. Get every usher a clip-on name badge; clip-on badges have a loop which holds the actual name badge.  To each name badge, add three more badges which are the same size as the name badge. Yes, each name badge will be “fat” but they will also be very useful.

 

The three additional badges should be color coded and have specific written instructions on each one depending on the event.

  • Red – fire
  • Blue – violent weather
  • Yellow – active shooter

When one of these events happens, each usher can read his or her name badge instructions, be reminded what he or she is to do in this emergency, and then follow through on them.

 

The name badges are always present because the ushers always wear them. The instructions can be tailored for each usher or area of ushers. The ushers can even talk about this among themselves and train themselves and new ushers in what to do; they can even make suggestions about how to improve this system.

 

This simple system uses some existing volunteers, gives them critical responsibilities, and provides vital helpers during a crisis so that church staff leaders can focus on other things that only they can do.

 

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: buildings, church safety, church security, facilities, leadership, strategy Tagged: , , , , , ,

Background Checks

Posted on November 18, 2014 Written by

Background checks are one of the many things in the past few years which have changed the way we do church. It is a legal necessity and not doing them can put a church in a legal hot spot. The best question to ask is the prudent person rule: What would a prudent person do in this situation? That is the rule of thumb I’ll use to answer the following

  • Frequency

o   There is no legal requirement for how often a background check should be done. A good rule is to do them once every three years. Every five years is too infrequent and every year is too expensive.

  • Cost

o   Basic background checks cost $10 to $15 for a social security number check, sex offender, criminal check, and address confirmation. However, some state, county, or city governments do not put their information online which means the background check companies spend extra money to obtain that info and they’ll pass that cost on to their customers. These additional fees can push a check up to $30 or $35.

o   There are more extensive background checks which cost more money but those should only be done if there is cause.

  • Who

o   The scope of who gets a background check must be defined clearly. The recommendation from a professional in this field is that your “average” volunteer have a basic background check. If something is uncovered, then a more extensive background check could be done or using that information, eliminate the person immediately.

o   Minors cannot have a background check without the permission of their parents. Typically I do not do background checks on minors. However, minors can be charged with adult crimes. For instance, I did a background check on an 18 year old woman who, the year before, had been charged with two counts of attempted murder.

  • How “deep”

o   Most background checks are pretty superficial and that is sufficient. You don’t want to go prying into someone’s past. That is not what a prudent person would do – do just enough to get the necessary info without being intrusive.

  • Who receives the reports?

o   There should be one responsible person to receive and review the background checks. Never share this information unless it is absolutely necessary and typically it is not.

o   If something is discovered, it is best to meet with the person and explain what was found and how, if at all, that will affect their work at the church, whether as a volunteer or employee. The person already knows the reason for the visit but it is good for them to know that the church knows, too.

o   For instance, I have a three-year rule for traffic citations but DUI citations are a lack of good judgment which require more time to elapse (about 5-10 years).

  • Sharing the information

o   The data in the report is personal and confidential. Only a very few people at a church should have access to this information. The person on whom the check was done can get a copy of their background check – that is perfectly acceptable since it is all about that person. I’ve even given the background check to an employee who volunteered in another organization; he gave the report to them and saved them the cost of a background check.

  • Finance Office Staff

o   Those with access to the church’s money have a higher threshold. For this staff I recommend an annual credit check. That is more expensive but it means that once a year, someone is reviewing a document which will reveal if a person has undue debt and is thus open to embezzlement to take care of their financial problems.

Always be sure that you can, with integrity, answer this question:

“Can you stand in front of a judge and tell him or her that you did everything that a prudent person did to protect the children who were in your care?”

 

Lead On!

Steve

 

Filed Under: church safety, church security, church staff Tagged: , ,

Church Violence and Death

Posted on January 15, 2013 Written by

Every week there is a news report of violence in churches or church-related facilities (camps, retreat centers, etc.). A lot of them end in violence and death.

http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2012/10/pastor-slain-suspect-dies-after-attack-at-forest-hill-church.html/

About 20 years ago shootings in schools raised awareness that schools were no longer the safe places that everyone felt them to be. Those acts of violence burst the bubble that schools and churches were places of peace and serenity. Both bubbles are now shattered. There is no truly safe public place (except maybe a fire or police station).

For churches and staffs struggling to educate people as to why safety cameras, check-in points, child safety measures, and other preventive actions are needed, the news has way too many stories. Use these stories to inform and show people why a well thought-out, coordinated plan is needed and helpful (and even attractive to young parents). Never use news of church violence to alarm or scare people – that is not helpful at all.

Carl Chinn (www.carlchinn.com) has collected every news article of church related violence since 1999. It is a wealth of information – Carl is doing all of us a great service. I’ve never met Carl and I’ve only emailed him once – but his heart is in helping churches be informed about what is happening. Then, what churches do with that information is up to them but hopefully they’ll take positive action to ensure their houses of worship are also sanctuaries.

If you want more information, contact Carl – I’m sure he’ll help you.

Lead On!
Steve

Filed Under: buildings, church safety, church security, facilities Tagged: , , ,

Pedophiles in the Church

Posted on April 4, 2012 Written by

Schools and churches were cited by Richard Hammar (THE guru of church legal and tax stuff) as the last places that pedophiles could hope to enter without being screened. Well, the school door is now closed – virtually every school screens anyone who gets near kids. That leaves churches – how open is your door? There are lots of ways to screen for pedophiles – see http://www.nsopr.gov/ for a site by the Federal Department of Justice that lists every convicted pedophile in the US.

But what about pedophiles that have done their time and now want to attend church – your church! What will you do? How do you handle that request? I suspect that every sizable church in America has a convicted pedophile visit at least once a year – sometimes the church knows the pedophile is coming and can be prepared but often the visit is unannounced.

Pretend you are someone intent on harming a child: this Sunday wander the halls of your children’s areas and see who stops you to ask why you’re there and if you should be there. If you’re on staff, you may not be challenged. So do something better, ask a friend is who a stranger to your church to wander the halls where children and minors are present. Ask him (it must be a male) to track how long it is before he is stopped. Hopefully it will be less than one minute till someone at the church asks him what he needs and escorts him out of the children’s area. That drill might be eye-opening to you. Then share the info with your children’s leaders – either praise them for their timely actions in stopping a stranger, or use this as a teaching

But what about pedophiles who “do the right thing” by contacting the church and explain their situation and ask about coming. Consider the upside versus the downside – the upside is that one person, a convicted pedophile gets to go to church and the downside is that he might do something on your property that endangers your little ones. So, what should you do? Here are some simple steps to take:

  1. Have at least two people from the church (pastor and another person) meet with the pedophile. Ask about his faith tradition, his faith journey, and his reasons for wanting to worship at your church and not a church closer to his home. (I use the male pronoun because most, but not all, pedophiles are men.)
  2. Have the same two people who visited with the pedophile to meet with the parole officer (PO) to hear what the PO says about the situation. Listen for variances between what the PO says and what you heard from the pedophile. Tell the PO what the pedophile told you – it may not be the “whole” trust but just part of the truth.
    1. The PO will give a clear opinion about whether the pedophile is ready to come to a worship venue where children will be present. Follow his advice – he’s much better at evaluating these situations than anyone in a church; that’s his job.
    2. Some POs have a covenant which is a contract between the pedophile and the church. Read it carefully and decide if the church can fulfill its side of the contract. Most contracts have similar language and are designed to protect the church, not the pedophile.
  3. If you decided to let the pedophile come to church then abide by the following guidelines. Tell the PO what you’re doing and get his approval or ask for changes. Don’t vary from the final agreement; any variance can open the church to legal proceedings.
    1. The church must appoint a handful of men who agree to be the “shepherds” of the pedophile while he is present on church property. These should be mature men who do not have young children in their immediate family (so that a child isn’t sitting with her father and the pedophile).
    2. The pedophile must arrive at the church and stay in his car in the parking lot until his shepherd comes to the car. The pedophile and the shepherd will walk together to worship and sit together. If an approved shepherd doesn’t come, then the pedophile must leave the church and return another week. The pedophile can have the cell phone numbers of church shepherds.
    3. If the pedophile needs to use the restroom or get a drink while inside the church building, the shepherd must accompany him (even into the bathroom). The shepherd should not lose sight of the pedophile.
    4. After worship, the pedophile should return to his car and leave the church grounds. The shepherd can then go to his Bible study group or his family.
    5. A pedophile should not attend Bible study on church property. There are too many risks in walking halls to a classroom to see and be seen by children and students. There is no upside to this. If the pedophile wants to attend a Bible study, then seek a male-only Bible study that meets elsewhere during the week (preferably a public venue like a coffee shop) that will accept him. But don’t force the group to do it.
    6. A pedophile should attend only worship and nothing else. No meals, no special events, no concerts, nothing. Worship only, and then only with an approved shepherd.
    7. That’s it – pedophile drives to church; waits in car for shepherd; walks to worship with shepherd; leaves worship to return to car and drives home.

If you and your leadership spend more time on this than on carrying out your vision and mission then you’ve spent way too much time on this; in fact, I’d say that if you spend more than an hour on each situation, you’ve spent too much time – after all, do you spend that much time on your active members, those who are contributing to the health and well-being of your church – invest in them first and pedophiles lastly. There are few (if any) documented cases of completely rehabilitated pedophiles. Invest your time wisely and not necessarily in rehabilitating pedophiles for which you and your staff are probably ill-equipped.

Yes, this seems harsh and you may be thinking I’ve gone too far. But let me say that this is a situation that the pedophile has placed himself – you didn’t put him into this, he did it to himself. Just like Spock in Star Trek says, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.” Put the church and its minors first in importance and then see if the pedophile can fit into your situation. You should never feel that you need to accomodate the church to fit the needs of the pedophile – that is absurd!

Lead On!
Steve

Filed Under: church safety, church security Tagged: ,

Church Violence Website

Posted on October 23, 2011 Written by

I found a website that deals exclusively with church violence, Church Crime History. I do not know this person so I’m not endorsing it but he has a lot of information and statistics. I believe that his purpose (and mine, frankly) is to make people aware that churches can have violence. Information is always good – information can be used to help members be more aware of what is happening in other churches. Share this resource with whomever you feel it would help to know about this.

Let me encourage church leadership to take some pro-active steps for safety and security. The depth of those actions is dependent on the church’s budget and the perceived potential danger to the church and its people. Some actions won’t cost the church a dime (such as setting up a Safety Officer Team) while others are much more expensive (such as security cameras). It is true that many of the items listed in Church Crime History could never be prevented – no argument there – but some precautions are always a good step in the right direction.

Lead On!
Steve

Filed Under: buildings, church safety, church security, facilities Tagged: , , ,

Safety Officers

Posted on October 1, 2011 Written by
Just over three years ago I established the Safety Officer Team at my church. No one asked me to do this, I realized the need for this after reading an article about the number of shooting deaths in churches. From 1999 to 2007, 41 people died in churches from gunfire. This does not include violent deaths at church-related camps or other properties nor does it include violent deaths by means other than guns (such as the poisoning of the church coffee pot in a New Hampshire church that killed one person). This figure does not include the scores of people wounded in shootings such as the two pastors wounded in September 2011 in a church in Florida.
 
Churches used to be considered sanctuaries (in every sense of the word). Churches are no longer immune from violence. Instead, churches must be proactive in protecting their facilities when so many people are present. Churches can do this in several ways:
  • Volunteers – these are typically members of the church who have had or are currently police officers.
    • I  discourage the use of members of the military. I greatly respect members of the armed forces, but typically they are trained to shoot first and ask questions later; police are trained to ask questions first and shoot only as a last resort.
    • Members who have neither police nor military training could be a risk the church should not take. My “risk-management hat” tells me that some untrained members may be either trigger-happy or trigger-reluctant and either situation can put people at risk.
    • Police (current or former officers) are probably the best way to go because of their training. This also gives police officer members of the church the opportunity to give back to their church using their professional training – something that many of them want to do but have never been asked to do.
  • Off-Duty Paid Officers – This is the best form of protection but it is also the most expensive. These officers can be either in uniform or in plain clothes or a combination. 
    • Some churches use traffic officers to help with getting cars out of the parking lot; those officers are the first line of protection for a church. Someone bent on harm may see a traffic cop and choose another, less guarded, site and bypass your location. 
    • High profile ministers usually have an officer that is assigned to be with the minister to ensure no one causes harm to him or his family while the minister is on the church’s campus.
    • Paid plain clothes officers are usually used in large churches where an officer’s presence is needed in a worship environment but where the church members do not need to be alarmed by the number of police. 
    • Sometimes a church will learn of a threat against a minister or the church itself. You need to decide how you’ll address that threat and there isn’t an easy answer. Every threat needs to be addressed individually.
      • Do you ignore it? A foolish action (in my book)
      • Do you bring in only volunteers? A good move but not far enough
      • Do you bring in paid officers in uniform? That is a great move but it does have consequences. The person making the threat may see the officer and decide to postpone the attack nor even cancel it. It may also alarm church members who are not used to seeing a uniformed officer.
      • Do you bring in a paid undercover officer? That is also a great move. It will not alarm church members but it does have the drawback in that the person causing the threat may continue with his (or her) attack.
  • Combination of volunteers and paid officers – This is probably the most efficient and effective method. 
    • It is an efficient use of church funds by using volunteers inside the church and a paid traffic officer. When (not if) there is a threat or there is a perceived need for increased vigilance, additional paid officers can be brought in.
    • It is effective in that the first line of defense is always the most visible officer – the traffic cop in the parking lot.
    • This is the way that I’ve gone to – I like and it works quite well. We’ve weathered 2 intentional threats and the heightened security around 9/11/2011. 
Below are the Safety Officer Guidelines that I created for my volunteer officers. My regular paid officer sees these guidelines, too. By the way, as my way of thanking them for their service, I meet with them once a year (the only official meeting I have with them). I invite them all, volunteer and paid officers, to lunch and I pick up the tab. I want them to get to know each other so that all the good guys to know each other – some churches are so large that police from different jurisdictions have never met each other. Take your volunteer officers to lunch – they’ll enjoy it, you can take the opportunity to acknowledge and express appreciation for their community service, everyone will get to know each other better and you can remind them of why they are so needed and vital to the church.
 
Lead On!
 
Safety Officer Guidelines
Overview
  1. The purpose of the Safety Officers for our church is for passive not active threat assessments leading to actions only if absolutely necessary. Passive action means observing individuals but not approaching or engaging the individual unless a specific threat is noticed.
  2. Only trained law enforcement (present, former, or retired) should be included as a Safety Officer of our church.
  3. Safety Officers may carry weapons on church grounds but that is typically not necessary.
  4. Safety Officers may wear uniforms but that is not typically necessary.
  5. Safety Officers must know who else is a member in order to assist or recognize another officer during a crisis. 
Responsibilities
  1. Whenever a Safety Officer is present at the church, he/she must consider him/herself to be “on duty” and available to respond.
  2. Safety Officers must be aware of individuals who have the potential to harm others. If a Safety Officer notices an individual believed to be a threat to others, he/she should approach the individual to determine the danger. If the danger is real, then the Safety Officer.
    1. Should summon on-duty officers (call 911)
    2. Maintain personal or visual contact of the individual until on-duty officers arrive
    3. Attempt to get other Safety Officers to help with the situation
    4. As a last resort, escort the individual out of the building if the person becomes disruptive
  3. Safety Officers should be aware that many times dangerous individuals want to gain a reputation or fame for themselves and their actions. The most prominent person in the church, and thus the most likely single target, is the senior pastor. If a Safety Officer notices an individual approaching the pastor during the worship service, the officer should walk forward to see if he/she can be of assistance.
    1. During the music – pastor may be approached by staff trying to tell the pastor some emergency. Only rarely will anyone else approach him.
    2. During the sermon – this is a high visibility time for an individual wanting to gain fame. Only rarely will anyone else be on the platform
    3. During the “altar call” – this time is when the pastor is most vulnerable since people are encouraged to come to him. Someone dangerous could get within inches of the pastor and not draw any attention.
  4. Safety Officers should not draw attention to themselves or their position unless a threat is imminent.
  5. Safety Officers should get to know each other and the church-hired traffic officer.
  6. The work of Safety Officers will go entirely unnoticed and unrecognized by the church. But please know that those people who are aware of your work greatly appreciate your service. It helps the staff and church do its work with peace of mind – thank you!
Lead On!
Steve
Filed Under: church safety, church security, leadership Tagged: , ,
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