A young domestic terrorist opens fire at a prayer meeting at a Charleston bible study, killing nine in an attempt to ignite a race war. Now two churches in Las Cruces, New Mexico were targets of bombs over the weekend. What can religious institutions do to protect themselves? To find out, I interviewed Jennie Leigh McLamb, author of Keeping Religious Institutions Secure.
Question 1: So why did you write the book, which came out before the Charleston massacre?
Religious institutions are among the most vulnerable organizations when crime is concerned. Their openness and welcoming atmosphere make them easy targets. In addition, they are often reluctant to believe that anyone would commit a crime in what they view as a sacred place.
Question 2: You were probably watching or listening or reading to the news when the tragedy unfolded in Charleston. What was going through your mind? Did you think about the scenarios you wrote about for your book?
First and foremost, I was concerned for the victims. My next thought was wondering what kind of security policies and procedures they had in place. My book details planning for an emergency, reacting to an event in progress, responding to an active shooter, and recovering from an incident. It is designed for those who have little or no security training or experience.
Question 3: Without giving away too many details from the book, what might be a few steps concerned churches across America could take to reduce the chances of being threatened by a shooter?
The main concern with churches and other faith-based organizations is how to protect their members while staying true to their mission. Churches don't want metal detectors, armed guards, and bars on the windows. The book details several lines of defense such as greeters and ushers. Speaking with a potential adversary and positioning several people beside and behind them -- without appearing menacing -- will mean that someone is watching if they pull out a weapon and can possibly stop them before they can cause harm. If an active shooter situation, you have 3 basic options: run, hide, and fight. However, I cannot stress enough that de-escalation techniques may be all you need to prevent an incident. Chapter 8 details how to identify and handle at-risk people including recognizing suspicious behaviors and confrontation management techniques. The most important thing a church can do is simply recognize that their facility can be a potential target. Many local law enforcement departments will conduct a security survey for free. Or you can contact a private security company who can evaluate a site for a fee.
Question 4: Of course, for every active shooter, there are also a number of cases where the building is attacked, instead of the parishioners. Without giving away too many details, what could a pastor and congregants do?
There are many ways to protect the facility. Security cameras are often a deterrent just by their presence. Motion-sensored lights can also scare off would-be criminals. There are also many ways to use the principles of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) to deter crime. Vandalism and theft are far more common crimes churches and other houses of worship experience. Security awareness training for clergy and staff is essential to recognizing and responding to criminal activity whether it is against the facility itself or the people within.
Question 5: Not all threats churches face can be violent, of course. What are some financial threats that churches face, and what can they do?
Financial crimes include fraud; skimming of money from collection plates; and embezzlement. Fraud includes what is known as affinity scams and benevolence frauds. Affinity scams are when fraudsters use their status as members of a particular group in order to con those groups members. Bernie Madoff scammed several Jewish organizations in his Ponzi scheme. Benevolence frauds are when an individual seeks financial assistance by misrepresenting financial needs. False charities purport to help victims of a recent tragedy. Organizations such the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and AARP provide training and other resources for recognizing fraud schemes and scams. To combat benevolence frauds, you can look at Charity Navigator to make sure they are legitimate. To protect against scams remember the most important phrase: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
Protection from skimming is to make sure there are multiple people watching the passing of the collection plate, taking the funds to be counted, and taking them to the bank. Embezzlement happens when one person is trusted to write checks or use a credit card and reconcile the bank statements. The best defense against this is separation of duties so that money handling duties are separate from record keeping. Requiring two authorized signatures in order to write checks can reduce the likelihood of someone writing checks to themselves or for other non-approved purposes.
Question 6: How long did it take to write the book? What were some of the positive and challenging experiences in writing and researching it?
It took about a year to do the actual writing of the book. However, I have been researching the issue for several years. The challenging aspect was actually turning in the chapters. I'm a perfectionist and I kept wanting to make changes. Also, whenever there was an incident in the news, I wanted to add it to the book. The rewarding aspect was meeting with religious institutions to see their needs. My primary goal in writing this book is to help others. If one crime is prevented, then I will be happy.
John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Ga. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. Ms. McLamb can be contacted for details at safetydamsel@yahoo.com.