Should Churches Have Armed Security Guards?

Has your church decided to move forward with starting a security team? Each and every church is different and has seperate needs. I would safely say that they all need some form of security. This could simply be a church member considering the topics we are discussing or it could be a fully staffed armed police force. Understanding that each situation is unique, there are four main options to choose from.

You can use Local Law Enforcement
You can use Contract Security Company
You can use Church Run Security Force
Or you can use a Combination of the Three

Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company offers this advice when considering armed security at your facility.

Team composition—Will you use volunteers or hire professional security guards? How many members will you need? How will you screen them?

Risk to Others—What is the likelihood of your security team members being overpowered by an attacker or shooting someone other than the intended target? Could they be accused of using excessive force? How will they be supervised?

Training—How much formal weapons training have security team members received? Are they licensed to carry a weapon in your state? Has their experience included training in resolving conflict with people without using weapons?

Vocation—Are security personnel current or former law enforcement agents? How often do they undergo weapons training?

Before concluding that your church needs armed security guards, do some overall planning in conjunction with local police, your insurance agent, and your attorney. All can give you valuable advice.

http://www.brotherhoodmutual.com/safetycentral/articles/ArmedSecurityatChurch.htm

Texas: Scare of their Life

Click for Article:
http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/76603547.html  

"It's a place where you would think you would be safe, but churchgoers in Madisonville had the scare of their life at the House of Hope Church on Wednesday night."

The above article was brought to my attention for an old co-worker and friend from the fire department (Hat Tip: Matt)

Friday Humor!

Received this interesting story on Facebook today from a blog reader and through it was worth passing it on.

“Reminds me of a sad but humorous story at our church. A drunken individual staggered into the building one morning. He was knocking things over and making a big mess. He relieved his bladder and then found his way to the kitchen and opened up the fridge. His attention was captivated by the ice cream in the freezer. He stumbled looking for a spoon; however, could only locate a fork instead. Knowing that a fork would still do the trick, he stabbed the fork into the ice cream with snickered glee. He then jammed the frozen joy into the roof of his mouth. In shock and horror he coughed out all the ice cream along with his false teeth, then collapsed to the floor in placate his pain. At that moment Vic walked in and was shocked to see an unknown man lying on the floor next to a pool of melted ice cream. In side the pool of ice cream was a fork implanted into a set of dentures.”

Some times break in can end in humor. This one would qualify for America’s dumbest criminals…”

Thanks Bonnie and India!!