tree of life synagogue

Homeland Security Committee Meets to Discuss Prevention of Violence Against Religious Organizations

In Jackson, Mississippi, the acting DHS secretary met with religious leaders and lawmakers to discuss ways that the department is acting to protect faith institutions targeted for violence.

The acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security visited Jackson, Mississippi last week as part of the agency’s campaign to fight violence targeting faith-based communities. 


At the first public meeting of a DHS subcommittee dedicated to preventing targeted violence of faith centers, Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan said the administration and other politicians must address the recent mass shooting in El Paso with “moral clarity,” adding: “It is hate, it is domestic terrorism, and it must be resisted together by Americans of all races, ethnicities and faiths.” 


“I am concerned about the white supremacy and the extreme increases and the growing attacks, especially the ones we have seen on the houses of worship,” McAleenan said. “I absolutely agree it is a problem and we need to work to address it.”


The Subcommittee for Prevention of Targeted Violence Against Faith-Based Communities, announced in July as part of the department’s advisory council, includes professors, law enforcement officers and religious leaders representing Muslim, Jewish, Mormon, Sikh and Christian communities. In the wake of attacks on houses of worship, more religious organizations are training congregants to handle weapons and protect community members from violence. 


Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who chairs the Homeland Security Committee in the House, said that houses of worship are intended to be safe havens for communities. 


“Unfortunately, those of us here from Mississippi and the South know too well the horror that shakes a community when a house of worship is attacked,” Thompson said, referencing shootings at synagogues, churches and Sikh temples that were motivated by hate. “It’s a sad fact that our houses of worship are living under threats of violence at the hands of extremist terrorists of all ideologies.” 


Though McAleenan acknowledged that the FBI is the main government agency tasked with investigating domestic terrorism, he said his department is moving “aggressively” to handle the threat through more stringent threat analyses and better intelligence gathering practices. 


“Over the last two years, the DHS intelligence and analysis directorate has increased its strategic and tactical reporting on domestic terrorism by over 150 percent,” McAleenan told the panel. 


One of his first moves when entering his acting role was to establish the Office of Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention to better coordinate the department’s strategy to fight domestic terrorism, McAleenan said. The subcommittee, which is due to release its initial report in September, is also part of his efforts to improve the department’s response and prevention efforts.


“I’m confident that the work of this subcommittee will help DHS secure and promote the resiliency of houses of worship as well as help identify areas where we can expand and refine our domestic terrorism prevention and protection efforts for the benefit of all Americans,” he said. 


Thompson, alongside religious leaders at the forum, urged law enforcement and the department to take action now to keep religious centers and communities safe. 


“While we need to work to eradicate all forms of extremism, these at-risk faith-based centers and nonprofits need the protection in the short term,” Thompson said. 


Featured

  • Allegion, Comfort Technologies Implement Mobile Credentials at the Artisan Apartment Homes in Florida

    Artisan Apartment Homes, a luxury apartment complex in Dunedin, Florida, recently transitioned from mechanical keys to electronic locks and centralized system software with support from Allegion US, a leading provider of security solutions, technology and services, and Florida-based Comfort Technologies, which specializes in deploying multifamily access control, IoT devices and software management solutions. Read Now

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.