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security plan for my church

nemo

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2006
Messages
275
Location
Winchester, Virginia, USA
I have been asked to help write a security plan for our church, and I have a draft. In order not to overlook any detail, and in order not to re-invent any wheels, I thought that it would be helpful to review any existing plans that may be around. If you have such a security plan for your own church, or for any other facility, that you would not mind sharing with me, then I would like to review it to see what I can learn from it. If you will PM me, I can send you my email, so you can keep things out of the public eye. TIA.
 

ProShooter

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
4,663
Location
www.ProactiveShooters.com, Richmond, Va., , USA
I don't have a specifc plan to offer, but I can tell you that we have seen a rise in the number of churches that have armed members during services. We've done our gun safety class and Refuse to be a victim class for some churches that were looking to beef up their security and situational awareness.
 

skidmark

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
10,444
Location
Valhalla
No security plan, but a lot of experience and a few questions.

1 - has an attorney looked over your idea to make sure you are not running afoul of DCJS regs on private security companies?
2 - what level of proficiency do the folks you will be using have? How often do they drill? What kind of drills? Have they ever drilled with a (simulated) crowd of folks milling about?
3 - other than the obvious reaction to an active shooter what other security responses are you considering?
4 - what legal training, if any, are you considering?
5 - are you willing to risk prior coordination with LEAs in your area? Rescue squads?

Those 5 ought to keep you occupied for a while. Feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss hands-on assistance.

stay safe.
 

nemo

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2006
Messages
275
Location
Winchester, Virginia, USA
> Those 5 ought to keep you occupied for a while.

YIKES! A bunch of things that I had not considered, for sure. Yeah; these will keep me busy.

> Feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss hands-on assistance.

Lemme get my feet on the ground in addressing the above and other issues. I am sure that the more that I learn, the more questions that I will have.

Thanks.
 

peter nap

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
13,551
Location
Valhalla
> Those 5 ought to keep you occupied for a while.

YIKES! A bunch of things that I had not considered, for sure. Yeah; these will keep me busy.

> Feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss hands-on assistance.

Lemme get my feet on the ground in addressing the above and other issues. I am sure that the more that I learn, the more questions that I will have.

Thanks.

The first one is easy Nemo. Check with criminal justice and what you'll find is that as long as none of the security detail are paid, you're good to go.

Also, I'm not sure which church you belong to but if you know any Mormons, they all have very precise security plans. I may be able to put you in touch with someone if you don't know any.

Last and this just my opinion...don't let security overshadow the church proceedings.
 

grylnsmn

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
620
Location
Pacific Northwest
Also, I'm not sure which church you belong to but if you know any Mormons, they all have very precise security plans. I may be able to put you in touch with someone if you don't know any.

Speaking as a Mormon (LDS), and a member of my ward's (congregation's) "Building Maintenance and Security Team", we don't have a specific plan (I am aware of) for dealing with such things as an armed attacker in our meetings. However, when our team was first organized last year (replacing the previous "Building Committee"), our Bishop brought up the subject of carry at church during casual conversation. I and one other member of our 3-man team carry on a regular basis, and we both interpreted the Bishop's comments as sort of a "wink, wink" encouragement to carry at church. (I have carried concealed there using that and personal self defense as my "good and sufficient reason", especially after a Bishop was shot and killed at church last August in California.)

At church meetings, I keep to CC, but one of my other responsibilities is to check the building three nights a week (making sure it is locked and properly cleaned/taken care of after scheduled activities). When I go to perform those checks, I am always armed, and (unless the building is still in use) OCing.

Hope that helps a bit.
 

nemo

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2006
Messages
275
Location
Winchester, Virginia, USA
I don't have a specifc plan to offer, but I can tell you that we have seen a rise in the number of churches that have armed members during services. We've done our gun safety class and Refuse to be a victim class for some churches that were looking to beef up their security and situational awareness.

Jim,

Thanks. That's a good idea, and I will keep that in mind, for down the road.
 

nemo

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2006
Messages
275
Location
Winchester, Virginia, USA
The first one is easy Nemo. Check with criminal justice and what you'll find is that as long as none of the security detail are paid, you're good to go.

Also, I'm not sure which church you belong to but if you know any Mormons, they all have very precise security plans. I may be able to put you in touch with someone if you don't know any.

Last and this just my opinion...don't let security overshadow the church proceedings.



Thanks; it is always easy if you know how.

No. I knew one Mormon, but he got laid off and I don't know where he ended up, though he is likely still in the Winchester area. If you can put me in touch with any Mormon who would be willing to let me review their security plan, I would appreciate it.

Good point; we had not intended to get TOO paranoid about the whle thing, just a lot more organized.
 

nemo

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2006
Messages
275
Location
Winchester, Virginia, USA
Speaking as a Mormon (LDS), and a member of my ward's (congregation's) "Building Maintenance and Security Team", we don't have a specific plan (I am aware of) for dealing with such things as an armed attacker in our meetings. However, when our team was first organized last year (replacing the previous "Building Committee"), our Bishop brought up the subject of carry at church during casual conversation. I and one other member of our 3-man team carry on a regular basis, and we both interpreted the Bishop's comments as sort of a "wink, wink" encouragement to carry at church. (I have carried concealed there using that and personal self defense as my "good and sufficient reason", especially after a Bishop was shot and killed at church last August in California.)

At church meetings, I keep to CC, but one of my other responsibilities is to check the building three nights a week (making sure it is locked and properly cleaned/taken care of after scheduled activities). When I go to perform those checks, I am always armed, and (unless the building is still in use) OCing. Hope that helps a bit.


Gray Lensman! Great books.

We intend to consider everything from lost tourists up to and including armed attackers, without changing our routine. Thanks for the tips.
 

skidmark

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
10,444
Location
Valhalla
snip

We intend to consider everything from lost tourists up to and including armed attackers, without changing our routine. Thanks for the tips.

If you didn't you would have big holes in your plan. Remember, "Be polite and be prepared to kill everybody you meet." Most won't need killing, some may not deserve killing, and the rest will not have made an appointment in advance.

stay safe.
 

user

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Feb 12, 2009
Messages
2,516
Location
Northern Piedmont
Be sure to include the most common sorts of problems - medical emergencies/seizures/obstructed airways, etc.; electrical fires; and what about bad weather, tornadoes, earthquakes, and stuff? It's not just about badguys.
 

nemo

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2006
Messages
275
Location
Winchester, Virginia, USA
Be sure to include the most common sorts of problems - medical emergencies/seizures/obstructed airways, etc.; electrical fires; and what about bad weather, tornadoes, earthquakes, and stuff? It's not just about badguys.

Good point; thanks.

This is the kind of feedback that I hoped for. I did not want to write something in isolation, then learn after the fact that I had overlooked all kinds of obvious things.
 

nuc65

Activist Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
Messages
1,121
Location
Lynchburg, Virginia, USA
Good point; thanks.

This is the kind of feedback that I hoped for. I did not want to write something in isolation, then learn after the fact that I had overlooked all kinds of obvious things.

As a first responder at work the largest hole we found was the reporting and logging of any incidents. We have a form and have had discussions all the way from HIPPA to missing manhole covers. Posting information on bulletin boards on who to contact for first aid and who is responsible for what is helpful.

A method of instantly texting all cell phones on the 'team' is one method we use as well as email alerts and instant messaging. We also have radios but have found that they are only as good as the people who use them. It is surprising to note how many people require training in the proper use of a radio, like push to talk (PTT) and let go if you want somebody to answer you. Even turning it on has proven to be a challenge for some people.

QC, QC K---MS would be way beyond (scrubbed for privacy, if you want to know PM yours).
 
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