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Security and Safety Management Program

Scope: Although the chances of suffering an attack are small, prepare and develop a holistic security plan that can save lives. Raise awareness of potential threats to the community, security planning team, and leadership. Recommend best practices for engaging with community, increase awareness of suspicious activity indicators, and ultimately improve the ability to prevent, detect, deter, and disrupt any targeted attacks.

Security and Safety Management Goals

  1. Develop Security and Safety Operational Plans
  2. Conduct Vulnerability Assessment
  3. Build Community Readiness and Resilience
  4. Protect Facilities
  5. Review Educational and Child Safety Considerations
  6. Implement Cybersecurity Strategy

Security Threat Modeling

Problem: Religious institutions face a baseline of persistent non-violent crime and an increasing risk of life-threatening violence.

Threat Categories

  1. Targeted Violence

    • Violent extremists
    • Domestic terrorists

  2. Random/Unpredictable Crime

    • Impulsive acts of violence

Active Shooter Incidents in the US From 2000-2020

Incident Locations

  • Businesses Open to Pedestrian Traffic: 31.71%
  • Businesses Closed to Pedestrian Traffic: 9.64%
  • Malls: 2.27%
  • Open Spaces: 35%
  • Education Environments: 15.84%
  • Houses of Worship: 5.56%

Incidents Targeting Houses of Worship - 54% of targeted religious organizations are of Christian denomination - 58% of perpetrators engage in planning behavior indicating their intention to attack through actions or digital communication - 22% of perpretators have some prior association with the religious organization - 69% of perpetrators are motivated by hatred of a racial or religious identity associated with the religious organization

RESOURCES - FBI Active Shooter Incidents, 2000-2019

Security and Safety Management Framework

Scope: To outline security needs and develop a holistically robust and layered security strategy without sacrificing the unique qualities that make houses of worship an important part of the local community.

Security and Safety Management Strategy

  1. Designate a security coordinator
  2. Establish comprehensive written security and safety operational plans
  3. Provide FEMA active shooter and basic emergency response action training to safety team
  4. Coordinate security and safety operational plans with first responders
  5. Assess lockdown, lockout, and shelter-inplace procedures
  6. Monitor threat information feeds related to threats against religious organizations
  7. Develop bomb threat and suspicious item procedures

Security and Safety Management Roles

  1. Security Coordinator - Responsible for implementing the security strategy.
  2. Security Planning Team - Supports the security coordinator with planning and executing the security management strategy.
  3. Security Force / Safety Team - Staff serving as the first line of defense in identifying and reporting suspicious activity.

Security Force / Safety Team

Scope: To establish responsibilities for security force and/or safety team volunteers and address specific security concerns within the framework of a holistic security management strategy.

Note: The terms "Safety" and "Security" used in this role framework have different scopes. Safety Teams engage in efforts to lessen the impacts of unusual incidents such as tornadoes, floods, fires, and accidents. Security Forces engage in efforts to detect or prevent an attack by threat actors.

Security Force Strategy

  1. Establish security force best practices with the specific purpose of facility security only
  2. Provide security awareness training including active-shooter training
  3. Ensure security force has necessary equipment including less-than-lethal weapons
  4. Assign and communicate security force post locations optimal for monitoring threat activities before and after services
  5. Write basic procedures for each post including standards of conduct and/or code of ethics

Security Force Best Practices

DRAFT Firearm Disclosure Statement: Permitting concealed lethal weapons as part of the broader security strategy has been discussed and (should/has been) determined based on an assessment of threats facing the community. The decision takes into account the results of a risk analysis, identification of threats, understanding of liability and insurance policies, knowledge of firearm regulations, and relevant training. A planned armed response (should/has been) coordinated with law enforcement and first responders.

  1. Provide access control and respond to security- and safety-related incidents.
  2. Establish a visibly (armed?) deterrent
  3. Identify threats and suspicious behaviors
  4. Engage threats until law enforcement responds

Safety Team Strategy

  1. Receive security awareness and threat detection training and are regularly informed of specific threat information.
  2. Consciously observe and assess surroundings using the OHNO approach.

Safety Team Best Practices (OHNO)

  1. Observe: Be vigilant of your surroundings
  2. Initiate a hello: Acknowledging a risk can deter a potential threat
  3. Navigate the risk: Determine if observed behavior is threating or suspicious
  4. Obtain help: Obtain help from security coordinator or security force if applicable

Summary

Targeted attacks are rare but present a legitimate threat to the community. Developing a holistic security management program offers the best solution to protect people and property from attack while ensuring our open and welcoming values are maintained.