Theft During Church Service

From: WGRZ News

{BUFFALO, NY--Buffalo Police are looking for a suspect wanted for taking a wallet during a church service...

Officers say a woman had her wallet taken from her purse while the purse was on a church pew.}

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My Thoughts: This is not the first story that we have seen related to wallets or purses being stolen from churches. I have a personal story that related to this occurring. A little over 10 years ago my brother got married. During the wedding all of the bridal party left their purses in a room that was being used to get ready for the ceremony. During the ceremony all of their purses had the money and credit cards stolen from them. 

As Carl Chinn would say... "Think About It"

Everyone at the church was preoccupied with the ceremony. The culprit knew that they had a open window to commit the crime. The bridal party would be pre-occupied till the ceremony was concluded. It was the "perfect crime".

The Sunday service is very similar. The culprit knows when the service is starting and when it ends. People tend to think that church is safe and will leave their belongings on a chair or in a pew while they walk out and visit friends or go to the restroom. 

Recommendations: Make it a regular practice to remind your congregation to not leave their belongings unattended. Train your ushers and staff to be on the lookout for this type of behavior. They can often remind people to bring their valuables with them and prevent a crime from occurring. Video surveillance is also a great option to help identify the culprit after a crime has occurred. You want to be sure that the "wolf" is not continuing to live within your congregation!