Did you know that according to recent research* that there is an uptick in church related shootings - 6 in 2007, 18 in 2008 and 17 for the first half of 2009. Typically, 46% of church violence cases occur during a church event, 53% occur during off hours. 64% occur inside a church building and 64% occur outside on church property.
Here are the reasons why church violence occurs:
10% - gang related
17% - domestic conflict
19% - robbery
28% - personal conflict
27% - random/other
*Sources: National Safety Council, Strategos International, Charles Chinn - Security Consultant
It is well known from many tragic church related incidents that a determined gunman can cause serious harm. Nevertheless, here are a few things that congregations can do to try to prevent their churches from becoming the sites of crime:
1. Prevention Steps -- Leadership & Local Authorities
- Build a relationship with the local police and ensure that they have current blueprints and photos of the church building, including interiors.
- In consultation with local police, develop an emergency contact list and distribute it to staff.
- Arrange to have the police regularly patrol the church property and notify them of upcoming special events.
- When traveling to other locations, try to do so in pairs and keep cellular phones handy for emergency calls.
- Do call the authorities as soon as possible during or after any incident, don't wait.
2. Prevention Steps -- Staff & Volunteers
- Develop an emergency plan to address threats of violence, including a building evacuation plan.
- Communicate plans to key staff and the congregation.
- Make sure First Aid resources are available and offer First Aid/CPR training.
- Instruct ushers and greeters to establish eye contact with all who enter the church and report concerns.
- Watch for strangers and monitor persons exhibiting strange or suspicious behavior, including persons with bulky clothing, trench coats and the like.
- Make sure all ushers have cell phones and are able to call police/EMS immediately in the event of an emergency or unusual circumstance.
- Recommend that people arrive and depart the church in pairs or groups, especially after dark.
3. Prevention Steps -- Building & Grounds
- Trim hedges and clear any obstacles to eliminate places a perpetrator could hide.
- Ensure all outdoor lighting on building and in parking lot is bright and operating properly.
- Limit number of entryways into the church and have ushers continuously monitor entry activity.
- Ensure that all exits are clearly marked, unlocked, and well lit.
- Secure any potential access windows and nonessential doorways.
For further discussion of possible precautions, see these articles:
What to do when violence strikesSecuring the faithfulChurch violence