Unfortunately these stories keep coming into existence.
On 8-29-10, Clay Sannar, 42, a lay bishop with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was doing administrative paperwork on Sunday between church services when a man came into the Visalia church and asked for a leader of the church. After being directed to Sannar, the attacker shot and killed him. After the shooting, a caller identified himself to police as the attacker. Police then responded and there was a confrontation with several shots exchanged. The suspect was hit multiple times. He was taken to nearby Kaweah Delta Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. No police personnel were injured. The suspect did not seem to know Sannar, and he was not a member of the church, and no one at the church recognized him.
It is not known yet whether or not that particular Mormon Church had a Church Security Ministry Team in place, or some other security awareness training. My heart goes out to the entire congregation and to the family of Clay Sannar.
We should learn from this tragedy so that this sort of act of violence will not happen again. Unfortunately, I think it will only continue due to the fact that we live in a fallen world that is in a state of permanent moral decay. We all think it will not happen to us, but we couldn’t be more wrong. We must protect our flock. I urge all church members of all faiths to ask their church administrators what security plans they have in place should the wolf come knocking on their door for a visit. If your church has a security ministry team, great, keep it tuned up. If it does not, implore your church administrators to seek out security consultants and implement a security team. Learn what options are available. There is a security plan that can be tailored to any church setting or function.
If you have any questions about any of our services, such as Private Security Guards/ Patrol Services, Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Church Security Training, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicles, Safe Rooms, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, your church, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services, Inc. for a free, confidential consultation. You can find us on the web. See all that Gideon can offer you.
Shortly after 7:30 a.m. on August 3, 2010, Omar Thornton opened fire at employees at Hartford Distributors, a Budweiser warehouse in Manchester, CT. Thornton was called in by his employer and shown video surveillance footage of him stealing beer from the facility. After calmly signing a letter of resignation, and not contesting the accusations against him, Thornton opened fire on coworkers at the facility for a period spanning only minutes. One witness suspected that Thornton was carrying a weapon in the lunch bag he brought to work. Thornton shot and killed 8 employees, and wounded 2 others before killing himself. After shooting his coworkers, Thornton phoned family members and allegedly revealed his motive for the attack.
Before being confronted on steeling beer from his workplace, Thornton, 34, had no history of complaints/disciplinary action against him. According to his girlfriend, Thornton possessed a pistol permit. His relatives claim that Thornton, who is African-American, suffered from racial harassment, and finally ‘cracked.’ According to his girlfriend’s mother, Thornton said he found a picture of a noose and a racial epithet written on a bathroom wall. While on the phone after the shooting, Thornton stated, “I killed the five racists that was there that was bothering me,” according to the uncle. However, according to a union official, Thornton never filed a complaint on grounds of racism.
This incident suggests that active shooter incidents may involve individuals who do not exhibit traits that can signal a potential threat; such as aggressive behavior, or visible animosity towards coworkers.
This example demonstrates that security personnel (if applicable) and police may be confronted with a complex scenario; a chaotic scene at a large facility where it may be difficult to immediately identify and interdict the threat.
If Thornton was being racially harassed, that is completely unacceptable. Thornton should have filed a complaint with the proper authorities and the guilty parties dealt with as quickly as possible. This incident seems all too coincidental that Thornton started shooting after he was shown video surveillance of him stealing from his own company. Could the racial harassment have been an excuse? I don’t know. Either way, the Budweiser plant should have had on-site private security in place to expectantly deter and prevent such an incident. Given the state of our economy and the slow gradual moral decline of our nation, people are “snapping” and resorting to violence like never before. We are constantly seeing an increase in violence on all levels of society (workplace, schools, churches, shopping centers, etc).
If there would have been armed private security guards in place at the Budweiser plant, they could have assisted in the termination of Thornton just like standard practices at other corporate offices. The terminated employee is generally escorted off the premises by security in an attempt to ensure that arguing or violence of any kind doesn’t take place. The terminated employee is also told not to return. If that employee returns at any time, they are generally confronted outside of the workplace or at the entrance to ensure the safety of the other employees, and to contact local law enforcement.
Implementing private security at your place of employment, enhancing your existing private security team with current tactics and best practices could have kept this tragic shooting from happening. Should a shooting take place, having armed security on-site could protect more lives than not and possibly stop the shooter. History and facts have shown that active shooter incidents start and end before law enforcement arrives on scene.
Implications of an Active Shooter
Active shooter attacks continue to occur in schools, workplaces, and public venues.
Disgruntled attackers may not signal their intent by openly revealing their hostility.
In the first few minutes, the initial response will involve facility security personnel (if applicable) and employees. Response procedures should include:
Evacuate the building if it can be done in a safe manner
Relocate to a safe area and secure the area to the degree possible
Call 911 and relay information as calmly as possible
In order to aid responding law enforcement, do not lock exit doors. When approached by a responding officer, stop moving and raise your hands so as to not appear as a threat.
If you have any questions about any of our services, such as Private Security Guards/ Patrol Services, Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Church Security Training, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicles, Safe Rooms, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, your church, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services, Inc. for a free, confidential consultation. You can find us on the web. See all that Gideon can offer you.
This will be the 32nd violent attack this year (2010) which this time took place in a Christian Church in Oklahoma. A violent assault and rape was committed at Britton Baptist Church on one of its own church employees. The victim went to open the church on a Tuesday morning and was attacked by an occasional (part time) employee who worked at the church in the past.
Thankfully the suspect was apprehended by Law Enforcement. I don’t know about you, but this irritates me. A church, which is supposed to be a safe place, has a brutal attack on one of its own, by one of its own. It should make you think twice about hiring employees and volunteers. A Background Investigation must be conducted on everyone working in and around the Church, or any other business entity for that matter. The suspect in this case was a known Felon. I can understand that the Pastor wanted to help the suspect out be enabling him to work in a way to rebuild his work ethic and to possibly become a contributing member of society. But let’s be real, the recidivism rate of Felons and Paroles is 65%- 85% conservatively. If you’re going to hire a Felon to “help him out”, they must be supervised at all times, and never left alone with women or children. This should not be allowed or tolerated. Felons have to regain the trust of the community. Felons must not be left alone, period!
Security measures must be put in place from open to close, 7 days a week, including church missions and special outings. My heart goes out to the victim. This tragedy could have been prevented with proper security awareness training. Teaching and learning security awareness training can go far. Learning what to look for and what the proper response can save lives. However, awareness training alone is not the only answer. It must be part of a comprehensive security strategy. Other security related items to consider would be surveillance equipment, changing the opening, closing, and day to day procedures, Verbal Judo, and some simple hand to hand self defense techniques to aid in an escape. I know some will say that is paranoia and we do need to militarize churches. I agree we do not need to militarize churches, but some security measures need to be put in place. We continue to see the horrible results when we do nothing. Do you want to be a victim? Everyone should inquire as to their churches security plan (if they have one). If they don’t, urge your Pastors/ Priests to engage a Security Consultant to implement some security measures and possibly a security team.
If you have any questions about how to implement a church security team ministry, need refresher training for an existing church security team, or you want to learn more about church security training, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation. See what Gideon can do for you. Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.com or our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net. Find out the many benefits to having a church security ministry team that benefit the church, church administrators, staff, and the congregation.
If you have any questions about any of our other services, such as Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicle, Safe Rooms, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, your church, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation. You can find us on the web. See all that Gideon can offer you.
Gideon Protective Services, Inc. will offer comprehensive church security training, security consulting and executive protection to churches and synagogues of all faiths.
California- USA
An executive protection and private security guard firm local to Southern California has announced its newest nationwide church security training division. Since church violence is on the rise like never seen before, churches are starting Church Security and Safety Teams. “It is a sad state of affairs when Churches today have to even think about “security” at their places of worship. Churches used to be thought of safe, sacred places that you could go to and your safety was all but guaranteed. Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore” states President and CEO Grant Linhart of Gideon Protective Services, Inc. a Southern California based Executive Protection and Private Security Guard Firm.
Speaking further on church security training, Linhart states, “Violence that has steadily increased over the years doesn’t show any signs of slowing down as places of worship are seen as easy and “soft” targets. Due to the fact society as we know it is in a state of decay, our churches and synagogues having become prey for the depraved and delusional, our churches must be defended and safeguarded”.
As reported by the Christian Security Network, risks are only going up for the faith-based community and are finally being reported and tracked. The U.S. State Department now classifies faith-based organizations as one of the top five “at risk” groups in the world today. The U.S. has seen tragic incidents of violence against Christian organizations and other incidents occurring on a frequent basis.
Some of the benefits of implementing a church security and safety team is reduced liability insurance rates and premiums, church specific SOP/ policy manual, initial and reoccurring training for security team staff, installation of a new or enhancing an existing security surveillance system, mitigation of emergency procedures, and control and monitoring of the children’s section of the church to name a few.
Gideon Protective Services, Inc (http://www.executive-protection-services.com/) is a full service executive protection and private security guard firm offering a wide array of security consulting services. We bring the training component to your church, saving your congregation the hassle of traveling and extra training expenses. We customize all of our security services to exactly what our client desires and deserves.
If you have any questions about Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicle, Safe Rooms, Church Security Training, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation. See what Gideon can do for you. Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.com or our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net or our Church Security Training Website at http://www.churchsecurity-training.com.
Our next installment in Church Security Training involves basic security awareness. The challenge placed on Church Security Ministry Teams is complex but can be summarized in four easy items:
• Be Balanced
• Be Knowledgeable
• Be Realistic
• Be Willing and Able
These challenges can be accomplished by training your Church Security Ministry Team members to be observant, assess each situation as no two are ever alike, and then act in response to the situation based on prior training and skill set. Church Security Ministry Teams need to remember we are still representatives of our churches, and ultimately of God. We must act accordingly. Let’s be perfectly clear. We are not militarizing churches; simply put we are observing and assessing people and situations in hopes to be mindful, not fearful.
Having this preparation and training already established puts us in the driver’s seat should any emergency arise. Church Security Ministry Teams will know how to react appropriately and mitigate those emergencies we have talked about in this prior blog. Church Security Ministry Teams must always strive and never lose sight of serving with a purpose. In simple terms; Church Security Ministry Teams must fend off the wolf if he comes to prey on the innocent, just like the sheepdog does with the flock its set to watch over.
Let’s go over a quick lesson in observation-
• Observe with a purpose
• Check and scan hands, waist, and then eyes
• Make eye contact
• Don’t forget to smile and greet fellow church members
• Use reasonable judgment
• There is not one profile that represents a threat, past church violence showed no discrimination
• Observe unusual behavior, clothing, and emotions
• Look for environmental safety or security hazards in the church buildings
Here is a food for thought scenario.
While in the lobby you see a man who attends your church walk angrily up to a car driven by his wife and begins to yell at her. He kicks at the door and picks up a rock and breaks the window.
What would you do?
If you have any questions about how to implement a church security team ministry, need refresher training for an existing church security team, or you want to learn more about church security training, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation. See what Gideon can do for you. Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.comor our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net. Find out the many benefits to having a church security ministry team that benefit the church, church administrators, staff, and the congregation.
If you have questions about any of our other services, such as Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicle, Safe Rooms, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, your church, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation. See all that Gideon can offer you.
Continuing on the topic of Church Security, one might ask why we need Church Security Ministry Teams. Churches are recognizing that the present days are evil. There is an increasing and alarming trend of violence towards all peoples of faith and church backgrounds. To meet this challenge, churches are organizing and implementing church security ministry teams. The member of their churches sacrifice their time and talents to provide a safe and peaceful worship atmosphere for all members at their particular Church. There are numerous national church security organizations that have formed over the last ten years. Some of these organizations are NACS, ICSARM, 212 Gatekeepers, and Congregational Security. Listed below are some of the latest trends that occur in the worst possible scenarios.
In 2009 there were 29 church shootings
Increase in societal pressures due to the economy (Domestic Violence, loss of income, alcohol and drug abuse, lack of God in people’s lives, etc.)
Mostly Single Shooters
Typically several firearms
Large amounts of ammunition (co 1,000+)
Specific Grudge or general hatred of Christians
Shooting lasts for 3 to 10 minutes
Most commit suicide
Police are largely irrelevant to the outcome (this is because the avg. response time is 5-10 minutes)
OK, so there is some church violence. But the Bible surely doesn’t advocate defending yourself, does it? Lets examine one of several passages that support self defense.
Nehemiah4:17-19. 17Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other hand held a weapon.18Everyone of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.
What does the security ministry team do when there isn’t any violent crime occurring?
Mitigate emergency and non-emergency situations (if and when they arise until the professionals arrive)
Patrolling the facility inside and outside
Assisting visitors with directions or questions
Securing the preschool and nursery areas, lost parent/children issues
Requesting and co-ordination of medical emergencies
Clearing the parking lot, doors, and crowd for approaching EMS Units
Escorting the offering from pickup to deposit into the safe or other safe location
It all comes down to being the eyes and ears for the church reference security of all church members. There will be rare instances, but sometimes there will be, a call to action. Security Ministry Team members must serve with grace, a humble heart, and be mindful, not fearful. Besides the church security ministry team be integrated into the church operations and providing a valuable service to its members, there is another huge administration/ financial benefit to having a security ministry team. Insurance companies that know and see the value of having trained, on site church security ministry teams, offer a break/ discount to the churches insurance premiums for the churches active roll in lowering their overall liability exposure.
Follow along on next week’s church security blog to learn more about church security training.
If you have any questions about Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicle, Safe Rooms, Church Security, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, or someone you know, feel free to call 888.305.6513 or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation. See what Gideon can do for you. Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.com or our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net.
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — A woman has died following a shooting at a local church late Wednesday afternoon. Police spokesman Ray Bunk said the woman and her husband were attending a counseling session at the Calvary Lutheran Church at 2415 S. 320th St. when the man pulled out a gun and shot her several times just before 6 p.m. Bunk said it wasn’t immediately clear whether the shooting took place during or just after the counseling session, but the suspected shooter called 911 afterward and waited for police and medics to arrive. “We’re unsure how many witnesses we have,” Bunk said. “Right now, (we don’t know) how many were in the room or even in the area. We’re identifying and interviewing all those witnesses. “The 38-year-old Lakewood woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she died. Her name has not been released. The 42-year-old Lakewood man has been taken into custody.
Members of the congregation gathering for a scheduled soup supper, a Lenten tradition on Wednesdays, learned of the tragedy as they arrived at the church. Many grew teary-eyed over the incident at their place of worship. “It was really scary to drive up and not know…we knew everybody was getting ready for the soup supper,” said Sandra Cook. Church members said a daycare inside the church was operating at the time of the shooting, sending parents on a frantic search for their little ones. “The church is a place of hope, and to someone driven to this degree, this extreme…we just pray for everybody that was inside the building that was connected with this thing,” said Stan Stenersen.
Yet another church shooting has taken place, this time during a counseling session. Church security isn’t just for church on Saturdays and Sundays. Church security is needed for all events that may take place at the church or an off site event. As violence continues to escalate in churches of all faiths, a complete and comprehensive church security plan must be implemented to train church administrators, counselors, and staff on warning signs of imminent violence and to have some kind of a response plan in place should any amount of violence unfold right in front of you or your church members, and to mitigate other church emergencies that arise.
Church security ministry teams are not just for the physical security of the church and its members. They are an integral part of the day to day operations of any size church gathering. Church security team ministry members are part of the parking lot crews, door greeters, children’s wing, ushers, and building maintenance personnel to name a few. Whatever the incident, large or small, the security ministry team facilitates the mitigation of the emergency, protects the children’s wing and congregation, provides crowd control and emergency medical services (etc) until the professionals arrive.
If you have any questions about how to implement a church security team ministry, need refresher training for an existing church security team, or you want to learn more about church security training, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation. See what Gideon can do for you. Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.com or our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net. Find out the many benefits to having a church security ministry team that benefit the church, church administrators, staff, and the congregation.
COLUMBIA, MO (KBIA) – A bill has been introduced in the Missouri House of Representatives that would allow concealed-carry permit holders to bring their weapons into churches. Current state law prohibits firearms inside churches. Representative Cynthia Davis sponsored the bill. She says it addresses the problem of church shootings.
“We need a way, if people feel like they need to have like an usher protect the congregation, there’s no reason that we should say they can’t. Under the current law, until we fix it, it would prohibit security guards from being in a church. “Davis says her aim is to remove this regulatory power over churches. Her bill, House Bill 1232, would allow individual churches to decide whether to permit concealed weapons. But not everyone agrees. Ladd Everitt is the Director of Communications for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. He says current concealed-carry background checks are too lax. Everitt says this bill would bring mixed results.
“Do we want to continue to arm individuals and allow them to carry handguns in public, individuals who are clearly deranged, and who we should expect to do violence eventually, and then also arm their potential victims, and hope that at the end of the shootouts that occur, if the victim has a chance to fire back, that the quote-unquote good guy is left standing. “Everitt says it would be better for each state to perform more rigorous background checks on concealed-carry applicants.
Apparently if you listen to Mr. Everitt he is implying self defense is not allowed in places of worship. And if you are armed then you are “clearly deranged”. You have to be kidding me right? Reference his quote from above the answer is YES! Of course we want the quote un-quote good guy left standing. That is the point of self defense. How can anyone act so cowardly as to want anything else but the good guy left standing. Maybe he likes being a sheep and hoping the wolf will pass him by, but I for one will not let that happen. Self defense is a right and it doesn’t matter whether your in church or not, period! Churches need to protect their people and there is nothing wrong with good, hardworking, decent people arming themselves incase violence visits them at church or any other place for that matter. I guess you can wait the standard 5-10 minute response time for the overworked Law Enforcement community to respond. How long does it take a dirtbag to shoot and kill people anyway Mr. Everitt? Let me tell you the answer-Less time than it takes the Police to get there. If you want to be a sheepdog and not a lap dog, then get some training and protect yourself and those around you, including Mr. Everitt.
If you have any questions about Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicle, Safe Rooms, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, your church, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation. See what Gideon can do for you. Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.com or our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net.
Yes it is true. There comes a time when you have to acknowledge the outstanding abilities of another. The person I 100% endorse is lifelong friend and fellow Firearms Instructor, J Michael McKirahan of Mindsight Firearms Training. Mindsight Firearms Training is located near the Twin Cities of Minnesota. J. Michael McKirahan puts together a great hand to hand defense and Firearms Training program. The programs offered by Mindsight Training are so great, that Gideon Protective Services and Mindsight Training are teaming up and creating our own joint pilot program. Why, you might ask? Here are words of wisdom by J. Michael McKirahan of why it is you should train:
“Why is it important to train and prepare for a situation we pray will never happen? Having a firearm for personal protection is the right of every American and what we do with that right is up to the individual. Some of us, depending on which state we live, chose to carry our firearm on our person or we chose to have a firearm in our residence to protect our families. In either case, having a firearm gives us the ability to change the course of events in a situation in which we feel our life or the life of another is threatened. The split second decision to protect your life or the life of another can come with lifelong consequences. How do you train? Shooting skills are tangible and will deteriorate with lack of practice and repetition. We have a responsibility to our families and/or other people around us to maintain a very high level of training. Imagine saving the life of a family member or fellow American, because you have prepared and trained your body and mind for the worst possible scenario. Now imagine reacting to a situation you have never thought of, or trained for…. Now you are on trial for murder, or in a civil court battle trying not to lose everything you have worked for in your life. There are only three outcomes of a deadly force situation.
1. You respond by engaging your training and using the tools and skills you have built for a positive outcome.
2. You do nothing and live with whatever the result of someone else’s actions.
3. You respond without thought, never having trained or prepared your mind for such an event.”
Those of us at Gideon Protective Services could not be happier having someone of this caliber in our ranks. The training program Gideon Protective Services and Mindsight Training are going to unveil will focus on Church Security and it will be released in the near future. You can count on “top shelf” hand to hand, knife, firearms, and mental awareness training program that can be applied to everyone and can be include in all aspects of your daily lives.
If you have any questions about Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicle, Safe Rooms, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation. See what Gideon can do for you. Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.com or our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net.
PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW. IT PAYS TRIBUTE TO ALL OUR AMERICAN WARRIORS WHO HAVE EVER FOUGHT FOR THIS COUNTRY, PAST AND PRESENT!
This song and video should choke you up. It makes me proud to be an American and reminds me that I love this country. We all should be grateful for the folks who put their lives on the line for us every day. Lt. Kinard was the Marine Corp presenter. In case anyone is wondering, that is what a real Hero and Warrior looks like! Like the Lt. said, “it’s not about the war, it’s about the Warrior”. May God forgive America for its sins, and may God Bless America.
Please support the Wounded Warrior Project. It’s a worthy cause that deserves our recognition.
“We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”-George Orwell
