Houses of Worship Can No Longer Afford To Not Have Security

No matter the budget, no matter the size of the congregation, houses of worship are now in the lime light and can no longer ignore the inevitable...in today's society, surveillance cameras and security policies and procedures are a "must have" to protect both people and property.

This week the First Baptist Church of Maryville, Illinois fell victim to a horrific attack, leaving the pastor dead, two wounded and the man responsible tackled and subdued by the paritioners.

Believed to be the nation's first shooting since July when a 58-year-old man opened fire in a Knoxville, Tennessee church killing two people and wounding six others during a children's play, there is an increasing concern about the future safety of houses of worship.

According to an interview of Jeff Hawkins, an expert in security and surveillance, "Everyone should approach this realistically and not say, 'This couldn't happen here in church,' because we see it happen all the time. 

It's essential that a church must balance having a security presence while still keeping a house of worship open to everyone, he said. "Some churches choose armed guards, some have a much more subtle security presence where you wouldn't even know it's there."

A church should have five security plans in place to deal with evacuation, long-term shelter, medical emergencies, lost or missing children and violent confrontations, he said.

"Every church is different so you need something that is going to work for that particular church's culture and size," he said. "And I think now, especially after September 11, people want to feel secure. They want to know if they bring their family somewhere, it's going to be a safe environment."

Fantz, A., Grinberg, E, Lendon, B. (2009, March).  Churches Need Security Plans, Experts say. Retrieved on March 11, 2009 from http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/09/church.security/
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