Thursday, May 3

Thursday: Maryland Church Shooting: 2 DEAD!

From: The Baltimore Sun

{Howard County police are investigating three shootings — two of them fatal — that occurred Thursday evening in and around St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Ellicott City.

Two women were found shot in an office at the church; one was dead and one critically injured. Police also found a man dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the woods near the church. There was a gun nearby.}

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San Francisco Police Clear Occupied Church Building

From: The San Francisco Chronicle

{San Francisco police and sheriff's officers arrested 26 people early Wednesday when they cleared out a vacant building that Occupy protesters had claimed as their own the day before...

Several hundred protesters marched to Turk Street on Tuesday afternoon, scaled a chain-link fence and swarmed into the building, which is owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. They said they intended to turn the building into a homeless shelter.}

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Wednesday, May 2

Church Security Training: San Diego

From: 10 News

{SAN DIEGO -- Numerous churches across the country and in San Diego County have been hit by crime in recent months and now one local group is teaching religious groups how to protect themselves...

Luis Rudisell, who is with Sheepdog Ministries, said, "These things are real. They are occurring every day. It's important to understand that evil knows no boundaries, and what better place to attack than a house of worship."}

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Pipe bomb found in grounds of Presbyterian Church

From: BBC News

{A pipe bomb discovered in the grounds of a north Belfast church could have caused injury or death, the police have said.

The device, found at Ballysillan Presbyterian Church, sparked a security alert on Wednesday.}

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Note: This event took place in Ireland; however, got have easily occurred within the United States. It is important for your church to have a plan for how they would react to a similar situation. 

Pipe Bomb: Possible Connection to Church of God in Christ

Note: This is a week old. It got stuck in my draft folder.

From : WoodTV

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (WOOD) - The FBI is among the agencies investigating a pipe bomb that exploded at the office of an apartment complex in Benton Harbor on Wednesday night. Just before midnight, Benton Harbor police found what appeared to be fragments of a pipe bomb near the office window of the Cogic Village Apartments at 1914 Territorial Road... Police said the apartment is owned by the Church Of God In Christ. Authorities are not yet sure if this explosion was aimed at that organization.

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Wednesday, April 25

Church Security Job Opportunity - Detroit Metro

From: Monster


Church Chief Security Officer - Detroit Metro - Triumph Church
Job Purpose: To supervise, plan, organize and coordinate security staff to ensure the safety for people and property of Triumph Church.

Duties:
        Oversee the continuous monitoring and protection of facilities, personnel and information systems.  Evaluate suspected security breaches and recommend corrective actions.
        Serve as a general security presence and visible deterrent to crime and rule of infractions.
        Detect suspicious activities
        Watch for criminal acts or rule infractions at or near given post which may be a threat to the facility, clients, members, or employees.
        Supervise the activities of security team.
        Develop, present, and implement approved policies, standards and guidelines related to church security to direct report.
        Serve as the church focal point for security incident response planning and execution.
        Assist in the development of appropriate criteria needed to assess the level of new/existing technology infrastructure elements for compliance with church security standards.
        Arrange security team work schedules in order to maintain order as well as protect the staff, people and property of Triumph Church.
        Evaluate changes to church environment for security impact and present findings to direct report.
        Observe workers in performance of duties to evaluate efficiency and to detect and correct inefficient work practices.
        Conducts investigations and prepares detailed reports concerning matters investigated.
         Expected to attend assigned staff meetings, give and receive information; participate in problem solving; provide recommendations for policy changes and program development to direct report.
         Consistently working to meet the mission and core values of Triumph Church with enthusiasm and a spirit of cooperation. 
         Responsible for performing any other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements:
·         Bachelor’s degree required and/or related 5-10 years of working experience.
·         In-depth knowledge of security operations, policies, and procedures
·         Law enforcement, corporate security, military, or government agencyexperience preferred
·         Some Tactical Training
·         Demonstrated ability to develop and implement information security policies, procedures, standards, and practices.
·         Implementation experience with security technologies and architecture, including encryption, network security, firewall configuration, intrusion detection, data loss prevention and application security.
·         Professional demeanor and appearance
·         Basic Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Monday, April 23

Think About It: What Does a Church Security agent look like?

What Does a Church Security agent look like?

I have been blessed by being able to travel to many states meeting many church security teams from multiple denominations. I’ve seen big churches with small teams and small churches with big teams.

What always interests me is to see the many backgrounds of folks who serve in this capacity. Of course there are often those with some sort of law enforcement or military experiences, but I know many churches that have none from such resource pools available, or too few to make a whole team. Those churches have creative service from folks with backgrounds in the construction trades, building services, real estate, agriculture, manufacturing, engineering, airlines and automotive services, and other trades of all types.

One of the most effective security directors I know is a man in California who is a former convict. He is now on the pastoral staff of an evangelical church, with a heart of protection. He wouldn’t pass muster or clear a background for most security teams, and he can never own a firearm. But if I were to have my own dream-team of agents, he would be on that team. The LAPD obviously feels the same way as he works with their gang unit as they try together to turn young kids’ lives.


Think About It…

  • All protectors have one thing in common -- that heart for protection.
  • Most protectors have another thing in common. The overwhelming majority have children of their own. There is no experience like that of having children to awaken the protective nature in an adult.
  • Those who know me well know I have tremendous respect for law enforcement and military – I come from a family of both. But I will not tolerate any in those fields who feel they have an exclusive in protection abilities. Officers who work well with civilian service used to be rare. There are still a few from that old school (I’ve met some), but most recognize there is nothing like a dedicated person with a heart of protection to keep congregations safe.
  • If you have a heart for protection, and a desire to serve please do not let a lack of official training stop you from pursuing an appointment as a church security agent. Some of the greatest stories came from people who were thrust into a role they had no background in. Ronald Reagan was criticized for being an actor when he got into politics, and none of Christ’s disciples came through seminary.
  • If you are a law enforcement officer or military qualified agent running a team, please don’t overlook the heart of passion for others who wish to serve. If they can listen and follow the can be a great asset to your team. 

1 Killed in Weekend Church Shooting


Pastor's mother killed after gunman opens fire in church

From: Fox News

{A pastor's mother was shot and killed when a gunman opened fire in a Colorado church Sunday, FOX 31 reports.

Yolanda Marant, a representative for The Destiny Center, confirmed to FOX 31 that 65-year-old Josephine Eccles, the mother of the church's pastor Delono Straham, was shot and killed when a unknown gunman entered the church and began shooting.}

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