We’ve all unfortunately saw the grim news on TV – a shooting or some other hostile event at a church or business. These adversaries sometimes identify churches as targets of opportunity given their relative ease of access. Keeping churches secure while sustaining the open and welcoming environment necessary for peaceful congregation requires a holistic approach to security.   

Alert support personnel can contribute greatly to enhancing security by learning how to identify behavioral indicators and taking precautionary actions to mitigate the impacts of a potential attack.

Maybe your church isn’t meeting in person now due to COVID? Well, this may be a great opportunity to examine your practices and procedures that you have in place in an effort to make your facility more secure when in person services do start again.

In that vein, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency has released guidance. Used effectively, the words “Hello” can prompt a conversation with unknown individuals to determine why they are there. The OHNO approach – Observe, Initiate a Hello, Navigate the Risk, and Obtain Help – helps personnel observe and evaluate suspicious behaviors, and empowers them to mitigate potential risk, and obtain help when necessary.

A note of caution: “The OHNO approach describes activities and behaviors that may be suspicious or indicative of criminal activity. These activities may be constitutionally protected and should be reported only when there are articulable facts to support a rational conclusion that the behavior is suspicious. Do not report based solely on protected activities, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or a combination of only such factors.”

Let’s look at each in more detail:

Observe:

Stay vigilant of your surroundings. Alert employees can identify suspicious behavior, such as:

  • Putting down a bag or item and then walking away from it.
  • A prolonged interest in or taking pictures/videos of personnel, facilities, security features, or infrastructure in an unusual or covert manner.
  • Unauthorized people trying to enter a restricted area by impersonating authorized personnel.
  • Loitering at a location without a reasonable explanation.
  • Suspicious Activity Indicators:
    • Expressed or implied threats to commit an act of violence or destruction.
    • Using abusive language that a reasonable person might find threatening.
    • Any statements or behaviors indicative of suicidal or homicidal ideations.
    • Contextually inappropriate statements about harming others.
    • Exaggerated or violent gestures, e.g. clenching fists or jaws could be interpreted as threatening or intimidating.

Security Tips:

  • Encourage each staff member to be observant about people and situations in the parking lot, in areas adjacent to the church, and in rooms and hallways inside, both before, during, and after services and activities. For instance: Are there unaccompanied bags? Are other doors locked that should be open? Are doors propped open that should be closed?
  • Unless there is a legitimate reason for people to remain in halls, rooms and offices, or to stand outside, courteously remind them that the service has started. If there is a reason for concern, courteously remind the person that the service has begun. If there is still a clear security concern, stay present until the individual either enters the service or leaves.
  • Approaching a person viewed as suspicious has potential risks. In some situations, it may be more advisable to report the activity to those with the authority and training to intervene.

Initiate a Hello:

Acknowledging a risk can significantly deter a threat. Use the Power of Hello to engage with individuals you observe in your space. (Tip: Active listening is key.)

  • Smile, make eye contact, and introduce yourself.
  • “Hello, how are you?”
  • “How can I assist you?”
  • “Welcome, is this your first time here?”
  • “Are you looking for something or someone in particular?”
  • “Let me take you to the person or place you are looking for.”
  • “I will be here in case you need help.”

Security Tips:

  • If an unknown visitor arrives, be polite, engage in conversation, and steer them to a clearly visible seat.
  • Without documentation, it is very difficult to prove an incident occurred. Ensure that staff document every encounter they have with suspicious person(s). This information could be used in law enforcement actions or judicial proceedings.

Navigate the Risk:

Navigate the risk by asking yourself if the behavior you have observed is suspicious. Consider these questions in reference to the person if you notice exhibiting threatening or suspicious behavior. Does the person appear to be:

  • Legitimately patronizing the business or service?
  • Wearing clothing consistent with the weather or gathering of the day?
  • Acting in a way that suggests they have a legitimate reason to be there or in a manner that would arouse suspicion of terrorism or other criminality in a reasonable person?
  • Avoiding security?
  • Taking pictures of security cameras or exit areas?
  • Showing irritated or detached behavior when acknowledged that would arouse suspicion in a reasonable person?
  • Asking questions about the business functions or employee information? (Who is closing? What is their schedule like? How many people work here? etc.)
  • Causing you to feel threatened? (If you feel threatened, calmly walk away and call 9-1-1)
  • Expressed or implied threats to commit acts of violence or destruction?
  • Abusive language that a reasonable person might find threatening?
  • Statements or behaviors indicative of suicidal or homicidal ideations?
  • Inappropriate statements about harming others?
  • Exaggerated or violent gestures (e.g., clenching fists or jaws) that could be interpreted by a reasonable person as threatening or intimidating?

The following are characteristics of an armed intruder:

  • Movement like touching a presumptive firearm secured at hips or waist
  • Unusual body movements (positioning oneself or moving in a manner to shield a weapon from view)
  • Bulges in clothing indicative of a weapon

If staff encounters any individual displaying these tendencies or someone who appears to be armed, they should obtain help, contact law enforcement and notify house of worship leadership immediately.

Obtain Help:

After navigating the risk, obtain help from management or authorities. Use the OHNO approach to provide the best information to first responders and security personnel.

  • Call 911 for emergencies or if you feel in danger.
  • To organize your thoughts to management or the police ask yourself 5Ws:
    • What is happening?
    • Who is doing it?
    • Where is it taking place?
    • When did you observe it?
    • Why are they here?
  • You can submit suspicious activity reports to your local law enforcement or call the non-emergency number.
  • Work to develop a relationship with local police/fire authorities.
  • Have law enforcement and fire department phone numbers listed for all employees to see.

Security Tips:

  • Invite local police to tour the facility so that they are familiar with the layout of the facility and associated buildings. Provide law enforcement with floor plans and access to locked and secured areas.
  • Know how to lock the doors quickly and be ready to do so the moment trouble develops. The goal is to prevent outside danger from coming inside to harm the congregation.
  • Consider locking unused offices and rooms. If staff can walk into a room or office, someone who wants to commit a crime can do so as well.

Final Thoughts:

Developing plans and procedures for responding to emergencies is something that all Churches should do. This is a large topic and creating this plan will require you to think through scenarios that may be uncomfortable to talk about. You can also consult local law enforcement. Incident Response Plan considerations are:

  • Create a planning team whose key function is to plan for potential crises.
  • Develop the plan in partnership with other community groups, including law enforcement, fire department, and emergency medical services.
  • Create visuals to display prominently in the building so that members routinely see points of egress and exit, lock-down procedures, and shelter-in-place locations.
  • Rehearse emergency plans on a regular basis so that everyone knows what to do in the event of the real thing.
  • Shelter-in-place requires everyone immediately find a room with no or few windows and take refuge. All windows, exterior doors, and other openings should be closed and locked.

You will also want to think through the following Notification Chain Considerations, such as:

  • What should the first greeter who becomes aware of a problem do?
  • Who will help the greeter, and who will inform/ warn the clergy, leadership, congregation?
  • Who will summon law enforcement?
  • Who will lock the doors to keep an assailant out, if that is even possible?
  • Who will guide congregants to safety? How will they do it?

Resources – Here are some additional resources: