Detroit Churches Step Up Security

From: CBS News

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Some Detroit churches are stepping up security following crime that’s included break-ins and muggings.

Pastor Roderick Dallas said his church, True Gospel Tabernacle on Ryan Road near 8 Mile Road in northeast Detroit, was forced to step up security efforts after someone stole $15,000 worth of audio equipment.

“It’s a blatant disrespect for the House of God,” Dallas told The Detroit News. “This is a very unchurched, unspiritualed generation.”

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Managing Your Church - Interview with Carl Chinn

From: Christianity Today

2012: “A Bad Year for Violence” at Churches

Last month, church security expert Carl Chinn updated his statistics on violent incidents at churches and faith-based organizations. He began tracking this information in 1999 by learning of incidents reported by news agencies, which he then independently researches and verifies before categorizing and tabulating them. The result of this work is 14 years of data churches can use to analyze the risk of violence for their congregation.

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Houston Church Parishioners Stop Thief

From: ABC 13 News

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The suspect in a southwest Houston church burglary was in the hospital Saturday night after being caught by parishioners...

Police say a suspect used a sledge hammer the bust through the wall and steal several band instruments.

Members living nearby went inside the building to inspect the damage and found one suspect hiding in the ceiling.

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2012 in Review by Carl Chinn

Think About It - Carl Chinn

2012 in review

As you may have noticed, I do not try to be the breaking news of deadly force incidents – that just isn’t my calling. It always takes a few days for the real story to work its way out. Since the intention of {www.carlchinn.com} is to provide helpful insight from lessons learned, it is incumbent to get the stories as correct as possible in a fair time frame.

All the 2012 stories are in now, and it was a bad year for violence at faith-based organizations. Here is an overview of 2012;


· There were 135 deadly force incidents discovered (the highest of any year yet). Of those 135 incidents, 39 (28.9%) were an attack which resulted in the death of others (ARDO’s).

· In those 39 ARDO’s, 56 victims lost their lives.

· Of those 56 victims, 40 (71.4%) were Intentional current or former participants (member, past member, employee, guest, volunteer) of the ministry. 16 (such as stories from 12/30, 11/11, 8/16 & 8/7 as examples) were victims of a homicide that took place at the ministry, but had no known victim connection to the ministry.

· 19 aggressors (counting suicides) died in these incidents, bringing the total violent deaths at faith-based organizations in 2012 to 75 – the most I have ever seen in one year – by a long way. This was nearly a 39% increase from the previous most violent year (2009) in which we saw 54 violent deaths at FBO’s.

· As typical with the multi-year study, nearly 90% of the attackers in 2012 were not stopped by others – they stopped when they were ready to stop. There were only 2 stopped in the process by responding active-duty law enforcement (the Greater Sweethome Missionary Baptist killer on 10/29/12 in Texas, and the Sikh Temple shooter in Wisconsin on 8/5/12). 3 were stopped by church members (though one of those was an off-duty officer and one was a former officer).

· The most common weapon was a firearm (55.9%), followed by stabbing weapons (17.9%).

· It was once again evident that the exterior of the buildings is most volatile. Again it was 2 to 1 more likely that an incident would happen outside than inside.

· Catholic and Baptist places tied for the most incidents – each had 23 experiences on US soil this year.


Think About it:

• Though a gun is still the most likely weapon any church will face if there is an attack, there are still a lot of folks (and state laws) who don’t understand the need for armed security. As we all know, the best way to stop a bad person with a gun is a good person with a gun.

• There was an average of 1.44 people killed in each ARDO. The average killed in attacks that were stopped by congregants in place was 1.33. The average killed by the time responding law enforcement got there was 3.5. This rating is consistent through the years – fewer people die when there is someone ready in the building. Year after year if the shooter isn’t stopped until law enforcement arrives, the death toll is going to be high. Yet there are still many who simply think 911 will suffice in a pinch.

• Though slightly off-topic, I want to encourage all of you to watch the Saturday Bulgarian assassination attempt. The suddenness of the attack should be a real eye-opener to all protection agents. Gavin de Becker’s book on the subject -- Just Two Seconds – is a very good read on this subject as well.

Women Arrested in Indiana for Breaking Church Window

From: WANE.Com

{GARRETT, Ind. (WANE) A Garrett woman was arrested and faces charges after police say she broke a large window at a church and smeared blood on the front of the post office.

Garrett Police say it happened Saturday, just before 4:30 a.m. When police arrived on the scene they found 18-year-old Maitlin Craig covered in blood with cuts to her palm and skin missing on her big toes. Craig had a blood-alcohol content of .18.

The damage to the Garrett United Methodist Church's window is estimated to be about $7,000.}

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Catholic Church Weighs in on New Gun Laws for Churches

From: Wausau Daily Herald

{For weeks, the Rev. David Rybicki has pondered how his and other churches should handle the new law permitting concealed weapons.

"Reports about where guns would and wouldn't be allowed have been in the news, and I found myself asking, 'What about churches?'" said Rybicki, pastor of the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Wausau.

The law, which allows people with proper permits to carry concealed weapons of all sorts, went into effect Tuesday. Dozens of concealed carry permits are expected to be issued in coming weeks, which has caused Wausau-area religious leaders to consider whether weapons should be allowed to enter sacred spaces.
"I think, in general, the feeling is we wouldn't want people carrying guns in churches," Brice said. "It would be sad if (people) felt they needed to."}

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*** Unfortunately, due to the increase in crime related to places of worship, I think the time has come that people DO feel that they need to carry weapons in church. I agree with "Brice" that this is a sad statement; however, I would differ in his opinion and would say that the time is already here where criminals do not consider churches "sacred places".

Back to Church to Rob Again and Again

"A spate of church burglaries in suburban Oregon and another in San Francisco has prompted tightened security around houses of worship, including ramped up patrols and high tech surveillance equipment. The extra measures resulted in the arrest of a suspect in six church robberies in Springfield, Oregon, a town neighboring Eugene...."

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Are your Utilities Protected?

"Gaston, SC (WLTX) - Churchgoers focus on the future after a man is arrested for stealing both of the church's air conditioner units.

'it's just a shame that a church that offers so much to a community gets taken advantage of'.

Tony Lester with the Christian Fellowship Baptist Church in Gaston is building a six foot security fence to protect their new air-conditioner units"

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It is a very good idea to protect the mechanical area's of your church. The mechanical/engineering room inside your church should always be locked. Most buildings have a mechanical area on the outside of the building as well. A fence is a very smart way to keep unwanted visitors away from this expensive equipment. Whether it is a villain looking to steal the copper out of the air conditioning unit or simply kids being unwise and mischievous, you want to limit access to areas that could ultimately cause the church large sums of money to fix if damaged. 

This is a good example of providing security and visual aesthetics at the same time.