Ask the Expert
- By Bill Savage
- Feb 14, 2008
Last December, a gunman opened
fire at a Colorado church and
missionary training center,
killing five people and wounding
numerous other worshippers. Several
months earlier, a gunman opened fire in a
Missouri church during Sunday services,
killing three people, including the pastor,
and wounding three others.
A vandal broke into a New York synagogue
that was under construction and
caused $7,000 worth of damage, including
broken doors, windows and restroom fixtures.
Violence at places of worship is
increasing at an alarming rate.
ISSUE: What’s behind this increase in
crime at places of worship, and what are
some effective ways to secure a church
or synagogue?
SOLUTION: A quick search of news
resources shows that houses of worship
are frequent targets for criminals—
from petty thieves to those wishing harm
to children. Churches, synagogues and
mosques typically have valuable A/V
equipment to use as part of their worship
experience; some have expensive furnishings
and fixtures and cash from offerings
on site. Many places of worship run
schools or daycare centers with children
on the grounds, and differing belief systems
also can result in hate crimes aimed
at a particular religion or congregation.
Securing a house of worship involves
special challenges. Security cannot have an
intrusive presence, making the use of metal
detectors or routine searches impossible.
“All are welcome” policies in most denominations
encourage community involvement,
making it easy for criminals to gain
access to church facilities. And with many
houses of worship hosting community
meetings, election polls and other nonchurch
activities, there may be many
unknown people passing through the facilities
each week. To ask any church to
change these policies would cut to the core
of its existence.
But it is possible to secure a sanctuary
and surrounding grounds in a discreet manner.
The first step should be the formation of
a security committee composed of worship
leaders, staff and members of the congregation.
This group should look for a security
systems integrator with proven experience in
helping protect houses of worship that
understands the importance of creating a
welcoming environment that is both safe and
secure. A risk assessment of the location
likely will result in the recommendation of
several electronic security systems that go
beyond standard intrusion detection.
Access control system. If an employee
or congregant loses a standard metal key, it
may be wise to undergo the expense of
rekeying all the locks. But it takes only seconds
on a computer to deactivate a lost
access credential. Also, an access system
provides a record of who accesses a controlled
door and when. That information
may be useful in determining when and how
an offense occurred. Access controls also
can be programmed for specific access at
specific times, allowing trusted individuals
within the congregation to access facilities.
Video surveillance cameras. These can
be positioned discreetly throughout the complex,
inside and out, and have the ability to
serve as a deterrent to criminal activity. With
a DVR, law enforcement can review events
if an offense occurs. Cameras placed in daycare
areas and classrooms allow caregivers
and teachers the ability to check on children
remotely, and the more caring eyes watching
children, the better.
Call boxes. Call boxes throughout the
facility, especially in parking lots and
garages, can provide an instant link to
facility security staff or local law enforcement
in an emergency. They also can serve
to summon assistance for lost children or
medical needs.
Communication system. An intercom
or telephone-based communication system
can link offices, entrances, and daycare
and/or school facilities. There are affordable
systems that come with cameras, monitors
and door release systems that can be
used by staff in areas where remote access
is desired or in higher-security areas where
money is handled.
ISSUE: Are there any low-tech ways
to supplement a place of worship’s security
system?
SOLUTION: While these systems are not
inexpensive, lower costs and higher performance
are improving the value of systems to a
facility’s operation all the time. A good security
integrator also should be able to suggest
some low-technology solutions such as
lighting, fencing and landscape modifications
to further improve security. Members
of the congregation also should be educated
about common-sense practices such as locking
car doors, keeping valuables out of site
and identifying the nearest exit for use in an
emergency. With violence and criminal
activity increasing everywhere, including the
places where people worship, awareness and
attention to one’s surroundings are critical.
Working with an experienced systems
integrator, it is possible to design a costeffective
security system that can greatly
enhance security and safety without major
influence on the daily activities of a house
of worship.
READER QUESTION: We have a highly
sensitive office in our facility and have
thought about adding a biometric device
to enhance security. I know the fingerprint
is the most common biometric
measurement. Is it truly reliable and difficult
to defeat, or should we look at
another possibility? As with any business,
cost is an issue.
SOLUTION: For interior applications,
the most common and cost-effective biometric
technology is fingerprint recognition.
With recent improvements in imaging
technology, lower cost for storage and
improved template algorithms, fingerprint
readers are increasingly reliable,
secure and affordable. For a low user
count, a one-to-many template match
allows the convenience of simply presenting
an enrolled digit (finger). The device
then searches the template database—
usually stored directly on the reader—for
a match and grants access.
For larger user populations or highsecurity
environments, a one-to-one match,
where a PIN code or card is used to identify
the user and the fingerprint is matched to
a specific template, is more common.
Today’s smart card technology allows user
templates to be stored on the card rather
than stored in a central database, addressing
local storage issues and privacy concerns
while increasing security.