There
have been bomb threats at more than 100 Jewish Community
Centers.
Dozens of mosques have been vandalized. Shootings at
churches often happen during the morning worship services. You might get the impression that sacred
spaces are increasingly unsafe, and that religion itself is under attack in
America.
Most attacks at houses of worship aren't
really about religion. Even with the steady rise of shootings and hate crimes,
spiritual sanctuaries remain among the more secure spots to spend a Sunday
morning. Shootings at churches and schools are terrible because of who and what they target.
Most victims of church shootings know their
attacker. Nearly half of the offenders (48%) were affiliated with the church,
and nearly a quarter (23%) involved "intimate partners," such as
wives, girlfriends and husbands. 17% of
church shootings, the attacker felt unwelcome or had been rejected by the
church. 12% of the shooters suffered from a mental illness.
What
can leaders do to protect their people from an active shooter? No precaution is
guaranteed to prevent tragedy. Here are steps you can take to reduce risk (and
possibly save lives) at your church.
1.
Create a
lockdown policy: If
your local police department has an active shooter policy, a lockdown may be
the best way to protect the segment of your congregation that is in the
building during a shooting, but outside the immediate vicinity of the shooter.
During a lockdown, certain areas of the church are required to shut, lock, and
barricade their doors until police arrive.
Those inside during a lockdown should stay away from windows
and leave room lights on to ease the police team's search. A lockdown removes
the chaos and confusion of an unplanned evacuation, but before instituting such
a policy. Determine which church leaders can order a lockdown and under what
circumstances. Identify who can enter protected areas (such as the nursery),
and how or if parents can retrieve children during a lockdown. Provide
telephones or intercoms that allow each lockdown area to communicate outside
the building.
2.
Create a survey
of your facility for police: Include in your
overview: blueprints and photos (digital and hard-copy) of every room in the
church, which police at a command center can use to guide officers as they
secure the church building. Cell numbers should for the church pastor, property
manager, medical personnel, and members of the church's crisis-response team.
Supply keys to outside and classroom doors. Shut off points
for gas, water, and electricity. Designate meeting points for families and
medical triage. Supply knowledge of existing threats, including anyone against
whom the church or a member has a restraining order.
3.
Prevent an
incident: Situational crime
expert Ronald Clarke coined these steps for avoiding an active-shooter
incident:
·
Increase
effort. If a shooter plans an attack on your
church, he will likely arrive after the service begins. Make it difficult for
an intruder to enter your church unnoticed and take a seat wherever he wants. A
simple step forward in this area involves closing sanctuary doors once a
service begins and training ushers to meet latecomers and guide them to
designated seating areas.
·
Increase early
identification. A person approaching your building
with a gun drawn is an obvious threat. But other signs, such as a person's
appearance or body language, represent danger too. Ushers, greeters, or church
staff can identify a threat by monitoring entrances via surveillance cameras,
well-placed windows, or simply by extending a personal greeting to any person
who looks suspicious.
·
Reduce risk. Create visual or lighting obstructions, isolating threats
from the body of believers. This is where a lockdown policy is most effective,
because it separates and protects the congregation from the gunman.
·
Reduce
provocation. Set guidelines for denying access
to people who are unstable, agitated, angry, or intoxicated. Train ushers to
identify the warning signs of such a person, and coach them to deny access
firmly, but respectfully. These warning signs include people who are talking to
themselves, or are otherwise belligerent. If a pastor has a counselee who is
particularly troubled, a head usher can be recruited to show extra attention to
that person if he arrives at the church.
4.
The shooter
arrives: It is critical for leaders to be decisive. If the gunman
targets a pastor or some other leader, those most visible should draw attention
away from the congregation. If the shooter targets the congregation, direct
confrontation is essential. This is dangerous, but you can improve your chances
by distracting the shooter.
Weaken his shooting ability by throwing hymnals, yelling
from multiple directions, and tackling him from behind. If the shooter does not
penetrate deep into the sanctuary and is shooting randomly, take cover behind a
pew, pillar, or balcony. Most shooters will be well armed and intend to inflict
maximum damage.
Recognizing the grave danger, church leaders and members of
a crisis team can save lives by closing the gap between themselves and the
shooter and overwhelming him. Once a shooting begins, establish communication
with the police as soon as possible.
Avoid chaos by assigning only people on your crisis response
team to call 911 (emergency). Police will want to know the number of shooters,
location of suspects, types of weapons, possible traps or explosives, immediacy
of threat, and location of sensitive areas such as Sunday schools or nurseries.
The emergency dispatcher will instruct the caller to stay on the line in order
to provide real-time information to police on the scene.
When police arrive, stay on the ground until you are told to
move. People have a built-in urge to run for safety. But movement creates confusion
and complicates the situation for police. When you do get up, avoid sudden
movements or any object in your hand that could be construed as a threat.
5.
Work with local
police: Most
police agencies have adopted an active shooter philosophy, which involves
forming up quickly, moving in, and removing a threat with lethal force. This is
all before an organized evacuation, or the arrival of a Special Weapons and
Tactics (SWAT) team or negotiators.
What does this mean for your church if an active shooter crisis
occurs? Designate one of your church leaders to meet with the police, and
review their strategy for responding to a shooting in your building. Educate
your congregation on your church's policies for responding to an emergency.
This could be done through a brochure or a segment of your new member's
class.
“There is
no evil that the Father’s love cannot pardon and cover. There is no sin that is
a match for His grace.” (Timothy
Keller)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“Protect Your
Congregation from a Gunman” by Andrew G. Mills
·
“SWAT Did You
Say?” by Daniel Engber
·
“The Truth about
Church Shootings” bDaniel
Burke
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