Terman Thesis

SOP AND EAP GUIDANCE FOR HOUSES OF WORSHIP IN THE US
AN ARGUMENT FOR IMPROVED SECURITY POSTURE AND READINESS AT

HOUSES OF WORSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES BASED ON THE THREAT,
CONGREGANT COMPLACENCY, AND A GENERAL LACK OF THEMATIC
GUIDANCE
Geoff M. Terman
Webster University - SECR 6000 Thesis
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- Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to reinforce the need to increase readiness through a
change in old mindsets and to improve layered physical and cyber security measures at houses
of worship in the US. The cognitive shaping argument focuses on complacent mindsets, which
manifest through insufficient security. Sections of this paper are dedicated to discussion of
historic incidents of attacks on houses of worship, the importance of congregant vigilance, the
psychology of hate, the consequences of complacency, and active hate groups in the US all
underpinned by the tenants of operations security. Next, the physical security glide path collates
best practice, discusses force continuum, instructs how to form a security panel, teaches a
decision making method, as well as informs on how to conduct planning, training and
evaluation. Findings were sourced through related online sites, books, journals, personal
interviews, and a survey. The conclusion highlights an exigent requirement for the
implementation of improved security measures, in order to buy space and time for congregants
in the event of violence. Further validation to the findings are secular and religious
endorsements to defend against aggressors.
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- Table of Contents
- Preface Page 6 7
- Part 1: Operations Security (OPSEC) the Foundation Layer Page 8 10
o 1.1 Enemy Surveillance Page 10
o 1.2 Friendly Vigilance Page 10 11
- Part 2: Psychological Considerations
o 2.1 Psychology of Complacency Page 12 14
o 2.2 Psychology of Hate Page 14 15
o 2.3 Macro View: Is US Society a Contributing Factor? Page 15 17
o 2.4 The Psychology of In-Group Favoritism Page 17 18
o 2.5 Method to Win Over the Fence Sitter Page 18
o 2.6 Psychological Effects on Congregants After a Terroristic Attack Page 18 19
o 2.7 Internal Threat Indicators Page 19 20
- Part 3: Ideology of Hate
o 3.1 Hate Groups Page 21 22
o 3.2 Extremism and the Lone Wolf Page 22 26
- Part 4: Access to weapons and the American Gun Culture Page 26 28
- Part 5: Historic Threats and Incidents Page 29 32
- Part 6: Use of Force
o 6.1 De-escalation Page 33 34
o 6.2 Force Continuum Page 35 38
o 6.3 Use of Force Legal Considerations Page 38 39
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- Part 7: Immediate Actions
o 7.1 Post Local Emergency Service Numbers Page 40
o 7.2 Bomb Threat Immediate Actions Page 41 42
o 7.3 Lockdown or Evacuation Page 43
o 7.4 Suspicious Item Found Page 44
o 7.5 Active Shooter Page 45 47
o 7.6 Building a Ready Bag; Logistics Page 47 48
o 7.7 Assembly Areas and Accountability Page 48 49
- Part 8: Physical and Cyber Security
o 8.1 Grounds and Exterior Building Security Features Page 50 56
o 8.2 Interior Security Page 56 59
o 8.3 Concealed Carry Rules Page 59
o 8.4 Cyber Security Page 60 62
- Part 9: Planning with Your Team
o 9.1 Establish a Security Panel Page 63 65
o 9.2 Conduct a Comprehensive Security Survey Page 66 75
o 9.3 CARVER Method for Prioritization of Efforts Page 76
o 9.4 Planning Nested with a City or County Plan Page 77
- Part 10: Training and Drilling the Immediate Actions Page 78
- Part 11: Resources at Your Disposal Page 80 82
- Conclusion Page 83 85
- Glossary of Acronyms Page 86
- Bibliography Page 87 90
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- Table of Figures
- Figures
1. Page 12, (Survey, 2016) Security Threat to Congregants in Houses of Worship in the US
3. Page 21, (Active, 2016) Active Hate Groups in the US in 2015
4. Page 25, (Klausen, 2016) Sample Coding of Overt Expressions of Behavioral Indicators of
Radicalization
6. Page 27, (Horsley, 2016) Gun Manufacturing in the US
9. Page 35, (Terman, 2016) Force Continuum Standard Security Incident Operating Procedure
12. Page 40, (United States, 2008, Page 2)
13. Page 41, (DHS/DOJ Bomb Threat Guidance, 2013)
14. Page 42, (DHS Bomb Threat Procedures, 2014)
17. Page 46, Four-man Tactical Stack
18. Page 48, Example Ready Bag
19. Page 51, (School, Page 10) Overview of Advantages and Disadvantages of Fencing Materials
20. Page 54, Examples of Cypher Locks
21. Page 58, Examples of Gun Cases
22. Page 59, (Paulsen, 2016) State Rules for CCW at Houses of Worship
24. Page 66-75, (The Complete Security Survey, 2016)
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- Preface
Since the beginning of 2005 there have been 42 separate attacks of all sorts against
people in or adjacent to houses of worship in the US. These attacks resulted in 67 people
wounded and 70 people killed. From 1980 until the end of 2004 there were a total of 139
shootings in houses of worship. In all, 185 people died, including 36 children. (Paraphrased, Diep,
2013). America currently has about 345,000 houses of worship with nearly 150 million
congregants, made up of 230 diverse denominations. Generally, congregations have one
hundred members or less, although some houses of worship have a following of over 10,000.
People wishing to do harm to large gatherings of a particular faith need not look further than the
local place of worship for that respective group. Religious institutions are generally soft targets for
several reasons, including open access to services and vehicles, limited security on the
perimeter, and a nefarious actor aware that there is generally a lack of comprehensive planning
to mitigate the threat.
The knowledge is available, although my findings indicate that the utilization of all-inclusive
security planning, training, and implementation in houses of worship is not occurring across the
spectrum. The catalyst is congregant and institutional leadership complacency. The threat is real,
and readiness is an imperative. The complacency is due to the relative comfort and freedoms
enjoyed in the United States. A paradigm shift needs to occur, in order to mitigate the danger to
congregants from both an insider threat as well as an outsider threat. The target audience for this
paper is the leadership of houses of worship as well as their congregants. The end state of this
work is to influence decision makers at religious institutions in the US to improve their security
posture.
This paper will show how to better understand the force continuum model, immediate
actions to counter a threat, how to conduct a security assessment, and better understand the
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community of interest. Most importantly, you will consider operations security and start thinking
like the enemy. These individual elements will empower you to implement a deliberate layered
defense and create religious facility emergency management plans. The shaping arguments are
historic incidents, current events, and predictive analysis. By painting a snapshot of the problem
set, you will walk away with a clearer understanding of what to do and how to do it. All coupled,
the knowledge gap will effectively contract.
At the heart of the argument is the collation of a wide swath of the best practices from
different religious institutions, government programs, and local law enforcement initiatives. The
reader will glean a comprehensive glide-path to improve security. Eventually, nefarious factors
will increase their direct actions against soft targets in the US. We have enjoyed relative peace in
the continental US, although we must seize the initiative and increase readiness. Other countries
have wrestled with the problem set out of necessity. However, in the US we have not put an
impetus on improving our religious institutions physical security, cyber security, or changing old
mind sets of congregants and their leadership.
Throughout this paper you will identify survey data points. Between 20 August, 2016, and
19 September, 2016, I conducted a survey to garner general atmospherics of Americans
regarding the subject matter. Two-hundred twenty-eight (228) people, from a wide swath of socio-
economic, religious, racial, and educational background took the 15-question survey. The results
were telling. Furthermore, I sat down with security advisors from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim
houses of worship to better understand their approach. I worked with local law enforcement to
understand the community policing partnership approach. Finally, I worked through a DOD
psychologist in order to develop better understanding of the psychology of both hate as well as
complacency.
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Part 1: Operations Security (OPSEC) the Foundation Layer
As you read through this paper, keep in mind the concepts of OPSEC, as a foundation
layer of defense in depth. This is where the paradigm shift identified in the preface truly starts to
come into play. If you embrace this notion and are able to sell your fellow congregants on the
concepts of OPSEC the other layers of defense through planning, resourcing, and training will be
the only logical course of action. OPSEC is a conscientious understanding by all congregants of
what information should be kept close hold. OPSEC is essentially the method by which we
protect information that can be used against us by an adversary. OPSEC necessitates that we
look skeptically at ourselves from the perspective of an adversary. OPSEC is the practice of
keeping your secrets secret and not giving the enemies a decisive advantage.
There are five steps in the OPSEC process:
Identify the critical information Example of critical information are the security plans
immediate actions, the interior layout of building and egress routes, home addresses of
congregants etc.
Analyze the threats Your network should facilitate by providing information upon
request from law enforcement reporting, open source information, and historic incidents.
Conduct an analysis of vulnerabilities Examples of this activity are assessing the
ease of building access, vulnerability of unsecured networks, lack of exterior lighting. Next, the
security panel will work to mitigate the identified risks.
Assessment of risk A deliberate evaluation of possible threats in contradiction of
security interest facilitate. This activity enables planning necessary countermeasures to mitigate
the weaknesses. You are working to balance the identified vulnerabilities in step three against the
threat from step two. This information enables decision making whether the risk requires
countermeasures
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Apply appropriate countermeasures Resources are always limited. Therefore, when
selecting which risks to counter, the panel needs to prioritize all identified risks from low-to-high
risk impact. An example of a countermeasure is as follows: Consideration of the threat analysis
indicates a risk assignment to a malign actor potentially utilizing cover of night to conceal
movement in an effort to attack a congregant in the parking lot. The vulnerabilities assessment
identified areas not properly covered by exterior lighting. As a compensatory measure, additional
motion detection enabled lighting is installed to cover the previously uncovered areas. Later, we
will discuss the CARVER (Criticality, Accessibility, Recuperable, Vulnerability, Effect and
Recognizable) method of risk assessment and countermeasure selection.
Most enemy collections occur via open source collections. Open source collections are
just that, accessible on the internet by anyone with little effort and it is perfectly legal. Consider,
your social media footprint; FACEBOOK, Twitter, blogging, YouTube uploads, your Snap Chat
photos, your religious institution newsletter or website. All of this can legally be accessed and
compiled in order to create a targeting deck on you or your fellow congregants.
Pattern of life (POL) is what a nefarious actor will attempt to gather to mass effects in an
attack. Small indicators are pieces of a puzzle. Indicators can be gleaned by your social media
footprint combined with your religious institutions website to effectively create a complete puzzle
together and walk an active shooter into your sanctuary on its busiest night. Most people
advertise their job, education, location, age, problems in their lives, socio-economic status,
childrens schools, hobbies, location of residents. Most houses of worship websites openly
advertise their hours of operation, location, schedule, pictures of the interior of the facility,
member information. All of these variables create an increased level of confidence for a bad actor
to execute an attack at the right time, with the right tools; do not enable him with your information.
Deliberately assess what you write in e-mails, discuss in public, say on the phone, or post on
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social media. Be aware, attentive, and look at issue from your adversaries point of view to
mitigate the hazard.
o Enemy Surveillance
The enemy is always working. This example does not perfectly nest with the house of
worship discussion, although it does illuminate enemy persistence. Margaret Thatcher narrowly
escaped an IRA bombing, five other people in the hotel were not so lucky and perished in the
attack. At 2:54 in the AM of October 12, 1984 a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), who
later was identified as Patrick Magee, planted a bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, UK. The
next day the IRA made the following statement: Mrs. Thatcher will now realize that Britain cannot
occupy our country and torture our prisoners and shoot our people in their own streets and get
away with it. Today we were unlucky, but remember we only have to be lucky once. You will have
to be lucky always. Give Ireland peace and there will be no more war. (UNK, P., 2014).
Recognizance generally precedes an attack or kinetic action. Indicators of surveillance are not
always apparent to the unwatchful eye. Vigilance is the key here. Bottom line, if you see
something, say something. Refer to the previous information about OPSEC. You are potentially
giving usable information to the adversary and do not realize it.
o Friendly Vigilance
Israel has ostensibly mastered the science and art of layered defense. The imperative is
vigilance which supports early identification of a threat and tailored security to individual
structures: the art. During an interview with an Israeli security manager for schools and
synagogues, the gentleman identified a systematic approach of rings of security, intelligence
gathering, and understanding local threats: the science. The security specialist requested to
remain anonymous and further stated, none of the information is confidential. Israel embraces
this comprehensive approach out of necessity.
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The Israeli security professional identified that, you either have to stop the person or the
bullet; it is that simple. Through the utilization of three widening circles around the protected
area, enemy actors are detected earlier. The outermost, third circle employs undercover spotters
to identify any deviation from the norm and subsequently relay this information to the inner
circles. The second circle is within 100-300 meters away (based on terrain and a number of other
variables) from the protected location and will flex in or out based on the situation. Circle two
involves prevention and advance intervention. Circle one is close to the protected space and
receives advanced communications from the outer circles in order to initiate mitigation efforts
before the threat arrives. Pre-attack identifiers buy space and time for the congregants to
evacuate the affected area as well as enable defenders to assume a ready stance. Furthermore,
circle one directly controls the entrance and the exit of all personnel at a protected facility.
The bottom line, in Israel, the term if you see something, say something is not merely a
catchy phrase, it is a way of life. Instinctual fear should be embraced. Unnecessary fear can be a
debilitating curse. The imperative is learning to differentiate and identify genuine threats. We are
surrounded by the menace of violence daily. We can and should do more to protect ourselves, by
learning to trust and act on our instincts.
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- Part 2: Psychological Considerations
o Psychology of Complacency
A family stays in their house during a pending flood. Sure enough, the dam breaks and
the water level begins to rise. The family flees to the roof when the water encroaches on the
ground floor. A man in a boat comes along and offers to ferry the family to safety. The devout
family waves the boat off and states God will protect them. The water rises to the second floor
and again a boat passes the driver offers a free ride to safety and again the family waves the boat
off, stating God will lift them from the peril and provide safety in the storm. The waters rise to the
roof and the family is barely holding on for dear life. A boat passes and again offers rescue to the
family. In typical fashion, the family waves the boat off and is subsequently swept away and
drowns. At heavens gate, the family asks God why he did not save them in their time of need;
God replies, what do you want, I sent three boats!
Figure 1. (Survey, 2016) Security Threat to Congregants in Houses of Worship in the US
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Now that we better appreciate the adversary, lets take a broad stroke look at the mindset
of Americas 150 million congregants. An aside, which I think perfectly personifies this discussion,
occurred when I took charge of my House of Worships security board. I identified that we should
have a handgun in a biometric case in the vicinity of the lobby desk. This proposal was met with
stiff resistance. Several board members stated, they were opposed to bringing a weapon into a
House of God. The irony of their argument and the purpose of our meeting was uncanny. I
encountered other friction regarding allocation of funds to improve security. This was based on
congregant perceptions that security was lower on the priority of efforts ladder than say,
remodeling the front facade of the building or improving the kitchen.
Complacency is a normal tactic or default mode of human nature, and it is
counterproductive to proactive security. We cannot haphazardly prepare contingency plans for
some of the time. Plans have to be readied, exercised and implemented in advance. The
corrective action to counter complacency are intentional efforts to incorporate security measures
in the absenteeism of perceived danger. The brain is set to default into conducting automatic
repetitive actions automatically. Complacency is not the result of apathy, carelessness or a flaw
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in your personality. It is the way we work. 90% of our day-to-day behavior is automated; it
happens without conscious or deliberate thought. (LaHaie, 2011). The implied task is to
incorporate consistent preventative measures and safe habits into daily life. The end state will be,
thinking and acting to increase safety will become the new default mode. Faith does not equate
to complacency. During interviews with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim community leaders, all
indicated that there is a scriptural precedence to do the best we can to implement security
measures and protect ourselves and others; the rest is left to God.
o Psychology of Hate
To understand how to effectively counter the posed risk, it is required to appreciate what
causes hate. A holistic look at the tradition of prejudice and racism from a psychological and
social approach will facilitate this objective. A caveat to this section is that the threat can present
itself from a variant of aggressors, including nationalistic ideology, terrorist organizations, the lone
wolf, the emotionally disturbed, solely criminal profit motivated, and adolescent mischief.
Currently, the most probable attacker is a malicious actor in opposition of a given religious
community. The attacker is focused on lashing out, due to a perceived religious or political
disagreement with the affected community.
Prejudice and racism have caused and continue to cause enormous misery. Furthermore,
these are the key catalytic elements necessary to condition and justify a nefarious actors lashing
out against a perceived out group. Before we develop solutions, lets take a moment to define
the terminology. Prejudice and racism both refer to a negative view of one group of people based
solely on their membership in that group. Racism is a specific form of prejudice, involving
prejudicial attitudes or behavior towards members of an ethnic group. The definition of race is
somewhat variable but commonly refers to an ethnic group originating on a specific continent,
such as people of African, European or Asian descent. (Cohen, 2011). An example of the
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connective tissue is, a person will not go into a Black church and shoot congregants unless first
indoctrinated into hate ideology.
o Macro View: Is US Society a Contributing Factor to the Problem?
Culture breeds behavior. With that, just as in most cultures, institutional racism has been
imparted onto the American culture to some degree. Im not insinuating that there is a deliberate
plan to inculcate prejudice into American society. Rather, this conditioning makes sense when
one considers that well into the 20th century psychological and scientific models maintained
xenophobic opinions. Furthermore, these arguments were used in the full spectrum of our
society. Many people-including writers, scientists, presidents, statesmen, and educators-
subscribed to beliefs of White superiority in one form or another many of todays so-called
enlightened explanations for social problems, which are accepted by much of White society, are
little more than subtle forms of the same line of reasoning. In fact, these explanations have a
strong historical continuity with ideas expressed earlier in our history by people we would now call
racist (Mattaini, 1996).
Societal norms have thankfully evolved in the past half century due to the Civil Rights
Movement. The social normative has changed and open bigotry is generally not acceptable. In
the US we have unwittingly prescribed to new racial controls which are not dependent on
institutionalized discriminatory practices. For instance, suburban neighborhoods generally
maintain a majority white middle class population. A lower incidence (in ratio to Caucasians) of
Latinos or African-Americans obtain the education necessary to attain higher paying employment
and therefore, cannot afford to live in a suburban neighborhood, quite a conundrum. About 33
percent of African-American adults had at least a two-year college degree in 2015, up from about
28 percent in 2007. For Latinos, that figure grew to about 23 percent from 19 percent, while
whites grew to 47 percent from 41 percent. At the same time, states have cut the funding they
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provide to public colleges, per student, by 21 percent since the economic collapse in 2008, and
have raised tuition by 28 percent. As public colleges become costlier, its harder for low-income
students to finish a degree. In many states, those students are disproportionately Black and
Latino. (Kolodner, 2016).
The following is not a perfect parallel argument, although it highlights one of the many
contentious divisions in the United States. Divides foment hate, hate culminates in violence. This
is merely one example of institutional bias I discovered while researching this paper. Society
accepts this as an acceptable practice in America. A full 30 percent of the US is made up of
people of color, although 60 percent of the people housed in the US prison system are people of
color. Data shows that 96,000 students were arrested and 242,000 referred to law enforcement
by schools during the 2009-10 school year. Of those students, Black and Hispanic students made
up more than 70 percent... Harsh school punishments, from suspensions to arrests, have led to
high numbers of youth of color coming into contact with the juvenile-justice system and at an
earlier age. (The Top 10, 2012).
In some cases, social divisions promote fissures and ultimately rifts. In the worst case
scenario, these rifts are catalysts for violence. This begs the uncomfortable question: Does white
privilege still exist? I would hazard that there is a caste system in place in the US. Fortunately,
visualization is not as pronounced as say, India, the second-order effects of our current standard
are just as relevant to the affected underclass. The nexus between this argument and the larger
purpose of this paper is, this line of thinking promotes division, nationalism, hate, and extremism.
Nationalism is an extreme loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially: a sense of national
consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion
of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.
(Merriam, 2016). American exceptionalism enables the depersonalization of others and
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facilitates lumping all people of Middle-Eastern descent into terrorists, all Jews into greedy
Zionists, all Blacks into uneducated degenerates; the list goes on and our society regrettably
amplifies these perceptions.
I will propose that religious based intolerance has been prevalent in every society since the
beginning of recorded history. Why? The simple answer is that striking out at those different is
part and parcel to what is referred to as the human condition. The human condition is a phrase
typically used with respect the generality of situations that humans face in getting along with each
other and the world. (The Human Condition, 2005). We differ physically, cognitively, and socially.
These variants elicit a unique response and create a natural pecking order. Psychopathy, group-
think bias, moral credential effect are all possible reasons for hate. We can plan against the
danger hate groups pose, although hating the dissimilar will never be totally eliminated.
o Psychology of In-Group Favoritism.
Partiality to your particular group over another persons group seems to be a natural
default position man has assumed throughout history. Cross culturally, people favor their own
group at a higher incident than not. A prime example is, In 1976 Marilynn Brewer and Donald
Campbell published a survey of 30 tribal groups in East Africa. Their subjects had been asked to
rate their own and other tribes on a series of traits. Twenty-seven of the 30 groups rated their own
group more positively than any other group. (Cohen, 2011). Furthermore, Dr. Cohen goes on to
discuss a series of studies from the 1950's and 1960's, when a group of adolescent boys were
separated into two separate teams and over the course of a summer partook in a series of
competitive games against each other. Subsequent to the sporting events, many of the
adolescents appraised their team performance as better than the other team. At the end of the
summer, 90 percent of the boys related that their best friends resided in their group. Prior to
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grouping and separating the boys into teams, many of the boys had identified their best friends in
the other group.
o Method to Win Over the Fence Sitter
A fence sitter is just that, on the fence and could potentially become conditioned to be
racist or not. Dialogue between conflicting groups is a means to promote understanding,
understanding enables personalization, identifying a name and face on the opposing side of an
issue begets deference. Winning over a potential adversary (or fence sitter) does not require
friendship, merely dialogue. The more positive dialogue, interaction, and exposure different
groups have with another, the less likely that overt xenophobic acts will occur. Psychologist
Gordon Allport first introduced the intergroup contact hypothesis in 1954. The theory stipulates
that there are positive second-order effects of intergroup contact when four conditions exist,
equal status, intergroup cooperation, common goals, and support by social and institutional
authorities. According to Allport, it is essential that the contact situation exhibits these factors to
some degree. (Everett, 2013).
o Psychological Effects on Congregants after a Terroristic Attack
Traumatic events are usually perceived by the individual to be life-threatening,
unexpected, and infrequent, and are characterized by high intensity. (Understanding, 2003). In
the aftermath of any terroristic attack, emotional and psychological support is a necessary service
to provide. Regardless of the type of attack at a religious institution, psychosocial care
subsequent an event significantly improves the potential for a positive emotional outcome of the
traumatized. If people assess that they were abandoned by their government, there is a higher
chance for negative long-term effect from the attack. After the smoke has settled and traumatized
citizens are back home, second-order effects can become pronounced as financial problems,
social issues, developed sleep disorders, and a host of other post-traumatic stress disorder
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(PTSD) related concerns. During an interview session with Dr. Jason De Leeuw an active duty
Army group psychologist at Fort Belvoir, VA, he stated there are four key factors when caring for
a victim of terrorism. The first is prioritize those people who were in close proximity to the event.
Next, be timely; quicker behavioral assistance will reduce long-term negative psychological
effects. Always maintain a positive demeanor. Finally, keep it simple. (De Leeuw, 2016). In the
aftermath of a terrorist attack, those in close proximity need a simple to understand, timely, and
positive response.
o Internal Threat Indicators
The External threat is not the only concern as we discuss threat groups. Congregants and
employees should also be monitored for change in POL. People do not generally become
enraged to the point where they will snap and kill indiscriminately or target a single person.
Rather, they might exhibit indicators and become more overtly volatile over time. Once you have
recognized these indicators, afford the person resources to manage their behavioral health
situation. While we are quick to judge the human rights record of every other country on earth, it
is we civilized Americans whose murder rate is ten times that of other Western nations, civilized
Americans who kill women and children with the most alarming frequency. In (sad) fact, if a full
jumbo jet crashed into a mountain killing everyone on board, and if that happened every month,
month in and month out the number of people killed still wouldnt equal the number of women
murdered by their husbands and boyfriends each year. (Becker, 1997, Page, 6 Par 4). A person
who has the propensity to become violent might display some of the following behaviors:
1. Abuse of alcohol or drugs.
2. Inexplicable increase in absenteeism.
3. Excessive unfounded physical ailments.
4. Apparent decline in attention span, appearance, and general hygiene.
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5. Diagnosed depression or severe mood swings.
6. Overreaction to minor change and overtly emotional response.
7. Repetitive violations of policies.
8. Unprovoked anger or rage.
9. Statements such as, everyone is against me or putting things in order.
10. Excessive discussion focused on problems at home, with spouse, with bullying,
severe financial issues, or increased remarks pertaining to weapons and violent crimes.
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- Part 3: Hate Groups
Figure 3. (Active, 2016) Active Hate Groups in the US in 2015
According to Southern Poverty Law Center, there are currently 892 hate groups operating
in the United States. This data is gathered through a collation of hate group newsletters, private
citizen reporting, law enforcement reporting, web data, operational sources, and national news
outlets. Groups are categorized as (the) Ku Klux Klan, White Nationalist, Racist Skinhead,
Christian Identity, Neo-Confederate, Black Separatist, and General Hate. Christian Identity
groups are fundamentally racist and anti-Semitic. Black Separatist groups are organizations
whose ideologies include (the) tenets of racially based hatred. Neo-Confederate groups seek to
revive many of the racist principles of the antebellum South. White Nationalist groups espouse
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white supremacy or white separatism but generally avoid anti-Semitism. General Hate groups
espouse various ideologies of hatred and include the sub-categories of Anti-LGBT groups, Anti-
Immigrant groups, Anti-Muslim groups, Holocaust Denial groups, Racist Music labels, Radical
Traditionalist Catholic groups and a variety of other groups. (Active, 2016)
There are currently 190 Ku Klux Klan groups throughout the United States. The Klan is the
oldest hate group in the US and has a storied history of violence. African-Americans have been
the traditional target of Klan aggression. The Klan also targets out Jews, homosexuals,
immigrants, and Catholics for attack and harassment.
The concept of groupthink was originally termed by Irving Janis a professor and social
psychologist in 1972. Hate groups adhere to the tenants of the groupthink phenomenon.
Members of hate groups often attempt to gain group consensus on a given subject. In many
cases, people will set aside their own personal beliefs or adopt the opinion of the rest of the
group. (Cherry, 2016). When people in the group oppose with the assertions of the majority they
generally keep their dissention to themselves, preferring to not disrupt the uniformity of the group.
o Extremism and the Lone Wolf
The cancer of Islamic extremism has spread the world over during the past decade and a
half. According to a research article titled Toward a Behavioral Model of Homegrown
Radicalization Trajectories there are twenty-four specific cues linked to the stages of
radicalization of an American homegrown terrorist. Understanding these indicators assists in the
estimation of sequencing behaviors and the duration of the average radicalization trajectory.
(Paraphrased, Klausen, 2016). It is widely perceived by experts that extremists go through a
roughly predictable process of radicalization related to the ideology. (Klausen, 2016). The elusive
variable is how much time it takes for an enemy actor to progress in radicalization. The timeline
varies to some extent from law enforcement to psychological theories. The reason it is so
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important to capture a correct assumptive glide path is to ensure law enforcement can intervene
at the appropriate time to neutralize the threat. A proven indicator for identification of the
radicalization process is an overt change in behavior directly attributed to the ideology.
Another model is the New York Police Departments identification of four distinct phases of
radicalization: the first being, pre-radicalization. A fence sitter would make a likely candidate as
he or she is looking for direction. Next, self-identification occurs when the person recognizes like
interests with the jihadist organization. Later, an indoctrination generally occurs where the
individual will make a statement of oath or conduct an action to prove loyalty. Finally, the subject
is accepted into the group formally or informally. This is referred to as, the stairway to terrorism.
The basic idea is essentially the same: radicalization occurs through a process of deepening
engagements that can be observed in changing overt behaviors. (Klausen, 2016). In 2011 the
National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) racked and stacked key indicators against 22
homegrown violent extremists operatives in an effort to untangle the glide path of
radicalism. There are many other theories and models which have been, and continue to be
developed to better understand the adversary.
Online platforms are a preferred method for home grown terrorist to garner training,
validation, funding, and marching orders. Statistically there is not a rational population risk factor
which can predict the chance of becoming a radicalized Muslim. The current models indicate that
there are somewhere on the order of 300 radicalized Muslims in the US, with a total Muslim
population of around 3,000,000. Therefore, one in every 10,000 is a potential terrorist. This
further personifies why houses of worship need to be vigilant, looking for new people in
attendance, identifying congregant POL changes, identifying personnel probing the exterior of the
facility, controlling access to the grounds and facilities, increasing security infrastructure, and in
communication with local law enforcement to understand threat streams.
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According to Peter Flynn, the Assistant Director of Planning and Research Bureau for the
Fairfax County, Virginia Police Department (FCPD), (FCPD) receives information from federal,
local, state sources and open source media outlets. We also obtain valuable information from our
community. Assistant Director Flynn goes on to state, The public-private partnerships,
emergency preparedness training, and community engagement is essential. Anything that
involves cross-communication forums aid in gaining valuable information. (Flynn, 2016).
A lone wolf, could either be a person working under ideological control of a hate group or
someone acting alone and flying under the radar. Therefore, a subject might not always follow
this course of action. It is, however, a fair assumption in the case of homegrown terrorism, where
the radicalizing individual typically goes through a process of political and ideological awakening
and experiences strong impulses to convert others to the cause. (Klausen, 2016). specific
ideology, social background, gender and, age factors all drive behavior.
Later we will examine the findings of a survey conducted in support of this research paper.
According to several hundred respondents; Muslims in America are the most probable targets of
malicious attack in their respective house of worship, a mosque. The findings further identify that
the perpetrator(s) would most likely use a gun in the execution of an attack. Fifteen years at war
with Islamic extremists have seared unbridled hatred into the hearts much of the American
populace. A person sold on a nationalistic perspective might find no differentiation between a
Talib in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan, from a first generation nationalized US citizen of
Afghan decent who wears traditional attire and prays in a mosque.
The following is an example spreadsheet which depicts how radicalization evolves over
time and through phases. Each of the terrorist is allocated a case number. The data is
chronologically sorted and assigned behavioral cues which identify stage progression elaborated
in the theory. The average time frame from the initial exploration of extremist ideas to bang was
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just over five years. (Klausen, 2016). As technology continues to advance and communications
are further flattened across the world expect the timeline to condense.
Figure 4. (Klausen, 2016) Sample Coding of Overt Expressions of Behavioral Indicators of
Radicalization by Sequence and Date (dates not shown)
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- Part 4: Access to Weapons and the American Gun Culture
According to the Congressional Research Service, there are roughly (as) many guns per
capita in the United States as there were in 1968: more than 300 million guns in all. (Horsley,
2016). Weapons are legally sold throughout most of the United States. Furthermore, the process
to purchase a weapon is simple. Unfortunately, the United States maintains a generally lax
arrangement to enable flattened communications between the mental health apparatus, school
systems, and the FBI. This permits people who are declared mentally unsound to purchase
weapons without detection through a National Instant Criminal Background Check System
(NICS).
This process to purchase firearms was so simple that in 2007 the Virginia Tech shooter
legally purchased weapons and ammunition. The shooter in the 2007 massacre of 32 students
was a prohibited consumer of guns. Hed previously been identified as a danger to both himself
and to others due to behavioral health issues. If a FBI and local criminal check comes back clear
a citizen can purchase almost any weapon off the shelf.
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The state of Virginia never sent information identifying the shooter as a prohibited buyer to
the FBI for subsequent population in the FBI database, which is a federally mandated activity.
Virginia is not the exception to the rule, rather it is norm. Many states have identified that prior to
the 2008 passage of a major federal gun control measure, the first of its kind in nearly 15 years,
thousands of weapons have fallen into the wrong hands. The law was subsidized by $1.3 billion
in Federal money and enables state governments to improve processes and procedures to better
track potential gun buyers against mental health records.
Figure 6. (Horsley, 2016) Gun Manufacturing in the US
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National Rifle Association (NRA) spokesman Wayne Lapierre indicated support for the
measure in 2008. The NRA is an organization which maintains a historic aversion to risk any
effort that potentially reduces the power of the Second Amendment. Unfortunately, (The
measure) was opposed by the mental health lobbies. They felt it was unfair to stigmatize a person
and put him into the federal system" (Cochran, 2008). The events which preceded the Virginia
Tech shooting is an absolute failure owned by the state of Virginia. The failure was due to
negligence in properly screening gun applicants, correctly maintaining databases of the mentally
ill, and by pandering to the numerous interest group lobbies. The Mental Health Lobby rallied
against this effort due to concerns with potential stigmatization of mental health patients.
Veterans groups were concerned that military personnel could potentially be singled out if they
were ever treated for PTSD.
This law pertains to licensed gun store sales only. Even with the law in effect, there is still
a gaping loophole which exists. Unfortunately, all gun show sales do not require a background
check, specifically where an unlicensed vendor sells to a private buyer. There is actually a
commonly known term in the gun community for this matter aptly coined the gun show loophole
or the Brady Bill loophole. This phenomenon has effectively encouraged a secondary market at
gun shows for both buyers and sellers of weapons.
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- Part 5: Historic Threats and Incidents
Houses of worship are susceptible to the full spectrum of pre-planned, ad hoc, and
targeted attacks. The perpetrators have used a variety of tactics to inflict harm on religious
facilities and the occupants of the facility. According to Homeland Security, Houses of Worship
Security Practices Guide, someone intent on doing harm have a bevy of weapons at their
disposal. The tools of distruction include, firearms, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), vehicle-
borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), chemical, biological, or radiological attacks, or
arson. All used in order to inflict a number of casualties and damage to religious facilities. The
article goes on to indicate that, attackers have demonstrated the ability to plan and conduct
complex attacks against multiple targets. Attacks can be carried out by individuals, teams of a few
perpetrators, or larger groups acting in a coordinated fashion. (Paraphrased, United, 2013, Page
5, Par 2.1.2).
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An interesting note on the above survey question; there was a statistically higher incidence
of respondents identifying ones own respective religions house of worship as being the
most threatened.
Throughout the civil rights era, African-American churches served as a political power
base, as well as afforded a communal location for social interaction. The church was the hub for
political discussion, organization, and a catalyst for the Civil Rights movement. These churches
eventually became targets of opportunity for those violently opposed to the Civil Rights cause
spurred by racial motivators. The bombing and burning of Black churches during this time
translated into an attack upon the core of Civil Rights activism, as well as upon the larger Black
religious community. (The Black Church). A key event which best highlights this activity was the
highly publicized Sixteenth Street Baptist Church fire-bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. The
event occurred on September 15, 1963. When the smoke cleared four girls were killed and
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scores of people were injured. Subsequent to this senseless attack a community was left
traumatized. Consider, what could have prevented this attack or mitigated the disastrous
outcome?
Fifty-two years later, on the night of June 17, 2015 in Charleston, South Carolina, in a
similar church yet another massacre. During the prayer service, 21-year-old Dylann Roof
slaughtered nine people. Following Roofs arrest, authorities learned more about him. Authorities
stated Roof wrote a racist manifesto which was released to the media by law enforcement. In it
Roof wrote, I have no choice. I am not in a position to, alone, go into the ghetto and fight. I chose
Charleston because it is [sic] most historic city in my state and at one time had the highest ratio of
blacks to whites in the country. We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one is doing anything but
talking on the internet [sic]. Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and
I guess that has to be me. (Frazier, Page 21, Par 3). As harsh as the following statement is, it
needs to be said. This should not have happened, there should have been adequate layers of
defense in place to mitigate the hazard from ever getting into the building, and we do not learn
from the past.
The Sikh community has been targeted in their temples and have recurrently been victims
of assault, vandalism, and arson. Sikh men are recognizable due to a unique turban called a
saroop. Sikh women generally wear a distinctive head covering. Assailants have historically
targeted the Sikh population thinking they were Muslims. A prime example is the in 2012 attack
on a Sikh gurdwara. A gurdwara is the gateway of the Guru, (Post, 2013) and is the location for
community assemblies and prayer in the Sikh tradition. A prime example is when Oak Creek,
Wisconsin was ripped apart when a lone gunman opened fire (at a gurdwara) killing seven and
injuring three more. The shooter, Wade Michael Page, is suspected to have been a white
supremacist. (Post, 2013).
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Subsequent to the events of 9/11 there have been hundreds of separate incidents
targeting Muslims throughout the United States. There were 481 anti-Islam hate crimes reported
in 2001, most of them after the Sept. 11 attacks, for an average monthly rate of 40.1, according
to FBI statistics. (Hate, 2015). Mosques are Muslim epicenters for social activity. Nefarious
actors have identified and exploited the opportunity to harass, vandalize, and assault
congregants. Muslims make easily identifiable targets due to recognizable attire and first
generation immigrants generally have an accent. In 2012, the Islamic Society of Joplin, Missouri
was set ablaze on two occasions in apparent arson attacks.
A lone wolf or self-radicalized extremist poses grave danger due to his limited preparations
footprint, ease of acquiring firearms, and an abundance of online training. As recent as May 2016,
James Muhammad, formerly James Medina attempted to purchase an IED to blow up a Jewish
synagogue in Aventura, Florida. The FBI was able to intercept the assailant through a law
enforcement operative who sold Medina an inert device. Medina intended to utilize the weapon
during the culmination of the holiday of Passover, to incur the most casualties possible. Medina,
is currently being housed in a Federal Detention facility and faces a potential life in prison
punishment. Anti-Semitic activity in the United States ebbs and flows. Events in the State of Israel
create second-order effects across the world and stimulate attacks. During the 2014 battle in the
Gaza Strip, there were an unprecedented 139 incidents reported compared to 54 incidents during
the same time the year before.
No religion is immune from the threat. However, the risk and hazard can be mitigated
through the use of best practice. Regardless of religious preference, time and space are two key
variables to preserve life in the event of an attack. Later, we will discuss methods to increase
physical security and buy time for armed respondents to arrive and neutralize a threat, as well as
space between the attacker and congregants, through the utilization of cover and concealment.
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- Part 6: Use of Force
o De-escalation
Communication and presence is on the use of force continuum model you will learn about
in the next section, therefore, de-escalation is a form of use of force. The objective of de-
escalation is to learn how to prevent situations from becoming dangerous and to learn safe
options for managing agitated people. De-escalation is the most benign use of force on the force
continuum spectrum. When confronted by a person who is a nuisance or verbally confrontational
and does not appear to be a violent threat consider the utilization of the deescalation skill set.
Communication is the key to effective de-escalation.
Please remember that everyone will respond different to the same stimulus, mental illness,
dementia, life experiences, and someone just having a bad day are possible catalysts to
becoming irritated when most others wouldnt respond in the same fashion. There are different
levels of agitation which require the de-escalation skill set. Before you jump into deescalate the
situation take a moment to evaluate his or her verbal and non verbal communicators. As long as
the person is not actively hurting himself or others you do not have to move quick. Once you have
assessed the situation initiate conversation and develop rapport.
A lot of the time, the frustrated person only wants to be heard and acknowledged. Be
empathetic and employ the following approach during discourse with the person. The five keys
are: give the person undivided attention; be nonjudgmental; focus on the person's feelings, not
just the facts; allow silence; and use restatement to clarify messages. (Dufresne, 2003). When
possible, try to utilize a team approach, sometimes there more is better and in de-escalation if
there are three utilities to having more than one person. The first is support the second is back up
in the event that the situation devolves, and the third is to have another witness of the event.
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Maintain positivity throughout the engagement and do not be wary of turning the issue over to
one of your fellow congregants if you are not detecting positive results from your interaction.
The following action and reaction examples are only guidelines, a situation can
expeditiously go from a verbal disagreement to a life or death scenario in a matter of seconds. If
the person is anxious, your response should be supportive. When confronted by a defensive
person, aggressively challenging your viewpoint you can either ignore the person or redirect their
argument. If the person is seeking information, simply provide information. When the person
rachets up the situation and presents refusal or non compliance, you should set limits through
clear, concise, reasonably presented points in a calm demeanor. If a person is venting you can
remove the audience. If the subject uses intimidation, take it seriously and default to the next tiers
on force continuum.
There are seven stages involved in the de-escalation process. The first stage is a calm
steady state attitude preseted by the subject and others. Next, there is a triggering event which
sets in motion an increased emotional reaction and takes us to the next stage of agitation.
Agitation quickly accelerates in the fourth phase and ultimately peaks durring the fith phase. De-
escalation is the sixth phase which brings the situation to the final stage, recovery. An example is,
you are enjoying a community dinner at your house of worship and everyone is having a nice
time. A congregant who is known to be hot tempered observes one of the kitchen staff drop a tray
loaded with food. This is the triggering event which agitates the person, who becomes extreemly
upset and accelerates to yelling at the staff member. You step in and logically and calmly discuss
the issue as well as actively listen to the hot-tempered congregant. After a few minutes has
elapsed, assess if the congregant has adequately vented and is primed to accept further de-
escalation support. Once the congregant is settled, a normal calm atmosphere should set back
into the dinner.
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o Force Continuum
The concepts of force continuum are common to law enforcement. Throughout my 11
years as a law enforcement professional, I utilized the force continuum model as well as de-
escalation techniques daily when interacting with people. The tenants of this model can easily
be superimposed and applied to a congregation. Deliberate training, distribution in newsletters,
and posting the model in the building effectively flatten communications and understanding.
There are zero costs associated with this Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
implementation.
Figure 9. (Terman, 2016) Force Continuum Standard Security Incident Operating Proceedure
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When confronting a threatening situation, never anticipate that it will evolve based on any
similar historic situation. Assess each situation holistically and follow the force continuum model.
Remember, a situation can go from non-threatening to deadly in a matter of seconds.
Utilize the force continuum model as follows: The first tier is blue. In the blue tier no force is
necessary or used only physical presence and verbalization. Work to resolve the situation through
communication. An example is, a vagrant attempting to gain entrance and beg for money from
congregants. If this activity is not welcome, merely instruct the individual to leave, point out
signage, and escort the person off of the property. Always attempt to ensure that you are not
alone, request a fellow congregant to assist you. When working to de-escalate an incident your
attitude and demeanor will positively or negatively impact the person in question. If the individual
becomes passive resistant, i.e. sits down and will not move, you can increase the volume.
Maintain control. The objective in this scenario is to defuse the situation at the lowest level.
You have the right to defend yourself and your fellow congregants. You may find yourself in
a situation where the subject is not compliant with your verbal commands and becomes actively
resistant, i.e. pushes you away. When you perceive the person poses a less than lethal threat,
you can utilize the minimum force necessary to control the adversary and advise a fellow
congregant to call 911. There are two distinctive force techniques in this scenario. First, a soft
method, restraining the subject through joint locks or holds. Next, a hard method can be utilized if
merited, in which, punching or kicking the adversary is necessary.
When a scenario elevates, less than lethal force may be justified. Less than lethal force is
characterized by the use of a blunt object to control a combative subject. Furthermore, a Taser
also called a Conducted Electrical Weapon (CEW) or chemical sprays can be employed.
Remember you will have to justify your actions, please ensure that your use of force is
commensurate to the threat. For instance, if the person sits down and will not leave, but is not
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posing any other risk you cannot punch him or her. Always work to de-escalate the situation,
dispatch law enforcement, and maintain a positive visual on the aggressor when possible. Sound
the alarm, by audibly getting your fellow congregants attention as soon as the threshold
necessitating physical force has passed. Announcing the situation will prompt other congregants
to flee the area, as well as the appropriate congregants to render your assistance; do not go at a
threat alone.
Finally, lethal force is the utilization of force which will potentially kill the adversary. Lethal
force is reserved for scenarios when you are protecting yourself or others from a person who will
potentially kill or gravely maim. When deadly force is used by a private citizen The citizen must
be able to prove that a felony occurred or was being attempted, and that the felony threatened
death or bodily harm. Mere suspicion of a felony is considered an insufficient ground for a private
citizen to use deadly force. (Deadly, 2016).
We will further discuss the immediate actions in response to an active shooter in part 7 of
this paper. Remember, in a deadly situation you need to either run, hide, or fight. If you are able
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to escape the scene, get out of harms way and warn others. Do not let other people slow you
down due to their indecision. If you need to hide use something heavy and attempt to barricade
yourself in by blocking the door, turn off lights, and silence your cell phone. While hiding, attempt
to find anything that you can use as a weapon to protect yourself and others with you in hiding.
Only when police have identified themselves on scene and are clearing the building come out
with hands raised. In a scenario where you elect to fight, utilize the amount of force necessary to
neutralize the threat and remember you are in a fight for your life and others.
o Use of Force Legal Considerations
According to the Law.com legal dictionary, self-defense is, the use of reasonable force to
protect oneself or (others) from bodily harm from the attack of an aggressor, if the defender has
reason to believe he/she/they is/are in danger. Self-defense is a common defense by a person
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accused of assault, battery or homicide. The force used in self-defense may be sufficient for
protection from apparent harm (not just an empty verbal threat) or to halt any danger from attack,
but cannot be an excuse to continue the attack or use excessive force. (For instance,) an
unarmed man punches Allen Alibi, who hits the attacker with a baseball bat. That is legitimate
self-defense, but Alibi cannot chase after the attacker and shoot him or beat him senseless. If the
attacker has a gun or a butcher knife and is verbally threatening, Alibi is probably warranted in
shooting him. Basically, appropriate self-defense is judged on all the circumstances. Reasonable
force can also be used to protect property from theft or destruction. Self-defense cannot include
killing or great bodily harm to defend property, unless personal danger is also involved, as is the
case in most burglaries, muggings or vandalism. (Self, 2016).
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- Part 7: Immediate Actions

o Post Local Emergency Service Numbers
Emergency numbers should be verified prior to posting. Post adjacent to entrance, in all
classrooms, and in all offices. When an emergency is actually occurring is not the right time to
start looking for the respective organization you need to leverage.
Figure 12. (United States, 2008, Page 2)

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o Bomb Threat Immediate Actions
The first moments of a bomb threat is the notification. Immediate assessment and
documentation should occur in order to develop the appropriate course of action with your house
of worship decision makers.
Figure 13. (DHS/DOJ Bomb Theat Guidance, 2013)
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Figure 14. (DHS Bomb Threat Procedures, 2014)

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o Lockdown or Evacuation
Information has been received via telephone, e-mail, in person, or in writing. Now its time
for decisions. Evacuate, lockdown the facility or do nothing. Keep it simple and dont be afraid to
make a decision. Paralysis by analysis will slow your immediate actions down and possibly
expose the congregants to more hazard. According to the DHS office for bombing prevention you
need to take the following steps.

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o Suspicious Item Found
Upon identification of unattended baggage ask people in the vicinity if they know who put it
there. If no one takes ownership sound the alarm, you need to clear the area and post people a
safe distance away from the item to block entry and warn others. Do not operate hand held radios
in the vicinity of the item.
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o Active Shooter
In a 2016 Active Shooter training put on by the Department of Homeland Security they
shared that almost 4% of active shooter situations in the US take place in houses of worship.
(Paulsen, 2016). The profile of an active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or
attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area. In most cases, active shooters use
firearms(s) and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. Active shooter
situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly. Typically, the immediate deployment of law
enforcement is required to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to victims. Congregants must be
both mentally and physically prepared to deal with an active shooter situation because active
shooter situations are often over within 10 to 15 minutes, sometimes prior to law enforcement
arriving on the scene. (Paraphrased, United States, 2008, Page 2).
There are several things that should become normal practice wherever you go. Maintain
situational awareness and identify exits. If you are in a situation where there is an active shooter,
the best thing to do is get out of the building, leave your personal effects, and warn others but do
not get slowed down by other peoples indecisiveness; WHEN IN DOUBT, GET OUT! Run.
If in a hallway when a situation develops, get to a room block the door, identify weapons
you can use in the room (anything from a fire extinguisher to a chair will work), turn your phone to
silent, turn off the lights and remain quiet; hide.
As a last resort attempt to take the attacker down. You need to fully commit if you proceed
on this course of action because you are in a fight for your life, as well as others; fight.
Finally, call 911 when it is safe to do so. If you cannot speak aloud do to safety concerns
keep the phone line open for the law enforcement dispatcher to listen in as the situation evolves.
The first-hand information provided to a 911 dispatcher will aid in an expeditious law
enforcement response. Identify the last known physical location of the attacker, identify if there
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are any hostages and where they are being held, the observed number of adversaries, a
description of the attacker, as well as a description of any weapons the attackers are using.
When law enforcement arrives at the scene do not make quick movements or run at the
officers. Instead maintain a calm demeanor if possible, comply with the law enforcement officer
guidance and orders, drop anything you are holding and raise your hand in the air. Law
enforcement generally enter a situation like this with what is called a four man stack. They will
not stop to help or evacuate the wounded or dead until the scene is determined safe and the
adversary has been neutralized. Law enforcement will not even stop if one of the members of the
clearing force goes down.
Figure 17, (http://www.usafpolice.org/tactical-response-force-trf.html) Four-man Tactical Stack
Finally, do not leave the law enforcement designated staging area until authorized to do so
by police. Following the active shooter scenario, law enforcement will have a deluge of questions
for you, all in order to gather as much information as possible.

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o Building a Ready Bag; Logistics
Prepare for the unexpected. Like any other function at your house of worship, preparation is
key to a successful operation. In this scenario we are readying a bag that can be quickly grabbed
to preserve life, communicate, and gather accountability. This task may seem a bit overwhelming.
Take a systematic and thorough approach to collation of the logistics and you will find it is not very
difficult. You will probably need to run to your local Home Depot or Wal-Mart to purchase some of
the following list. Most likely, you will have many of the listed items on hand. One ready bag should
be maintained for each classroom, in the sanctuary, and in the office area. Consider your local
terrain and weather as you assemble this kit.
You will need:
1. A backpack (to put the items in)
2. Flashlights, two-way radios and batteries
3. A roster of congregants, room rosters, and emergency points of contact
4. Reflective vests
5. OC spray
6. First aid kit and first aid manual
7. Paper and Pens
8. AM/FM radio
9. Bottles of water and light weight food items which provide essential nutrients
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Figure 18, Example Ready Bag
o Assembly Areas and Accountability
In the event of an announced evacuation, congregants should understand immediate
actions in order to ensure an expeditious exfiltrate from the affected area. The ideal fallback
location provides cover and concealment. Concealment means the enemy cannot see you, you
are concealed from the adversaries plain view. Cover means the location provides cover from
small arms fire. Once in position, gain accountability, assess for injuries and remain quiet. Next,
make positive communications with law enforcement, clearly state the nature of the emergency,
the last known location, and a description of the perpetrator(s). Furthermore, identify your
position, other friendly positions, and whether or not friendly personnel are still in the facility.
Remember, keep your communication concise, deliberate, and clear the line when instructed to
do so. The dispatcher needs basic information, who is effected, where the incident is occurring,
when it has occurred, what has occurred or is occurring, how it occurred; keep it simple and do
not panic. If you are able to safely egress away from the affected area, do so and communicate
your new location with law enforcement. When law enforcement arrives at the scene of the
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emergency and initiate clearing the area and building do not run at police officers and keep your
hands in the air, so as not to startle the officers and inadvertently get hurt.
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- Part 8: Physical and Cyber Security
o Grounds and Exterior Building Security Features
When you think about a security system, interior building motion sensors and door sensors
probably come to mind. Comprehensive security starts on the exterior of a house of worship. The
following implementations can increase the overall security posture. These efforts will slow and
possibly deter an adversary from gaining access in the first place. Simple measures can be taken
to mitigate the freedom of movement and maneuver for an adversary. The following are best
practice security add-ons, to improve your facilities security posture.
Fenced perimeter There are pros and cons to consider when planning fence
emplacement. Application of the tenants of, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
(CPTED) will assist you and your fellow panel members. CPTED was originally developed in the
1970s for urban locations. The concepts are still very applicable to urban and other than urban
localities. CPTED utilizes a multi-disciplinary method to deter criminal activity. The pros are, a
deliberately defined boundary which expresses ownership, enables law enforcement observation
and response, limits access to areas which are not seen in plain view, and effectively channels
people to avenues of approach which are highly visible. The cons, if emplaced in a poor location
or an inadequate type of fence is purchased the fencing will potentially decrease the intended
security benefits. Furthermore, poor selection of placement or fence material will potentially limit
surveillance of the grounds and attract vandals. The most important adverse second-order effect
is that due to restricted access or egress, first responders and congregants have to take more
hazardous route in the event of an emergency.
The material of the fence should not be easily cut, vandalized, or climbed. Ornamental
fences, such as wrought iron, are considered to be the best in these cases. High quality
ornamental fences are also lowmaintenance, which saves money over the years. While
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chainlink is often the most economical option (School, Page 4, Par. 4). Ensure that the fenced
perimeter retains two points of entry/exit as a minimum. The two access points need to be wide
enough for emergency vehicles.
In an effort to make the fence more aesthetically pleasing, plants and shrubs can be
emplaced. The shrubbery should not impede observation of law enforcements vantage outside of
the perimeter. Wrought iron fence costs about $125 for a four foot by eight-foot-tall section
uninstalled, while a 100-foot roll of eight-foot-tall chain link fence costs around the same amount
uninstalled.
Figure 19, (School, Page 10) Overview of Advantages and Disadvantages of Fencing Materials
Signage Signs should be emplaced on perimeter fencing as well as the exterior of the
structure. The sign should state something to the effect, You are on posted private property;
please leave or No Trespassing.
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Beyond the obvious statement on the sign, in some instances signage facilitate creating a
legal precedence and further protect your house of worship from lawsuit and liability. After all,
private property rights are outlined in the Constitution and, for many, evoke some extremely
strong emotions. (With that,) no trespassing signage will give you legal recourse and help
protect your property from ignorant or malicious intruders. (Heap, 2013). Each of our 50 states
have uniquely codified law, so it is important that you check your local rules. Laws vary from state
to state to include delineation of maximum distance between signs, specific verbiage that should
be used, and articulation of the size of the sign.
Shrubbery around building and perimeter Emplacing thorny shrubs for security has
been used for the past several hundred years around the world. Plant's which climb as well as
have defensive properties improve man made fencing. Furthermore, a climbing plant will work to
prevent graffiti on the walls of your facility. You will need to have patience when using plant based
defense, it will take time in order to see results. But when these plants have reached maturity
they can present the most formidable barriers. (Beckford, 2015). There are several type of plants
you should consider. Do keep in mind your climate and consult with a landscaping expert.
Deciduous, Evergreen, and Semi-Evergreen all have varieties which are very effective.
Exterior lighting Correct lighting design will take into account local ordinances and
guidelines as well as the light from surrounding businesses. (Lo Bosco, 2013). When planning,
focus on purchasing energy efficient lighting, which saves money and produces high quality light
with a broader color spectrum. In order not to disperse light where it is not needed, use lamp cut-
offs to control the direction of lighting. Consider the transition of lighting, so as not to go from
brightly lit to no light. This consideration enables the elderly to safely traverse the grounds of the
house of worship. The elderly require 60% more light than a person in their 20s. Regularly
maintain exterior lighting and assess sensitivity adjustable motion detection initiated lighting
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sensors during hours of darkness. Replace bulbs when they get to 70% of rated life. Clean out
the dead bugs, spiders, and birds nests, all of which will reduce the lighting effectiveness over
time.
Security Cameras Security cameras serve several functions on the exterior of the
facility. First, cameras will enable law enforcement to easily capture vandals as well as theft.
Next, cameras act as a deterrent to potential criminals and surveyors. Currently, there are a
number of wireless, weatherproof, digital multi-camera systems on the market.
If you elect to install a wireless system, ensure that you have enough bandwidth with your
current Wi-Fi signal plan. Furthermore, there are an abundance of features to choose from. Night
vision, remote viewing, and motion activation make it easy to conduct active surveillance.
Recording is easy and you can set the system to continuous, scheduled, and motion activated.
An installed system for a medium size house of worship, which is capable of recording video and
audio to the cloud or a DVR, a monitoring station, as well as the capability to send alerts to your
e-mail or via SMS will cost around $1,000. Monitoring services costs anywhere from $20 - $100
monthly. The monitoring fees are generally pendant on the number of emplaced cameras,
storage capacity of video and audio, and the number of SMS per month. The pros of having your
system monitored include periodic assessments of your site 24/7, prearranged actions if criminal
activity is identified, a coordinated law enforcement response, and professional maintainers to
ensure the hardware and software is fully functional.
You can elect to skip the monitoring service and record everything to a DVR as well.
Ensure the system you select is capable of frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS). FHSS
technology monitors wireless signal strength and reconnects upon detecting low signal. This
capability decreases potential signal interference as well as built-in signal guard technology.
strength.
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Cipher locks
Figure 20. Examples of Cypher Locks
Ideally, your house of worship has locked exterior doors all of the time. An easy and
relatively inexpensive method to control access is the cypher lock. Cypher locks cost anywhere
from $200 - $500 installed. These locks all serve the same fundamental purpose and are similar
in functionality. The utility of a cypher lock permits personnel to gain access if they are entrusted
with the code. Once inside the person should encounter another layer of defense, such as
another door. This creates a holding area in the event of an unwanted guest. The holding area
should have CCTV constantly capturing people coming in or leaving the facility. During business
hours the second door should be left unlocked with a person greeting all arrivals. After hours or
when the threat is determined to be increased, the person requesting entrance will require a key,
be buzzed in, or encounter another cypher lock. There are several options when you consider
your access control system.
Shatter proof one way glass film A weak point in most buildings are windows. In lieu of
expensive ballistic glass, utilizing a durable window film prevents glass from shattering upon
impact. The product will increase the structural integrity of any window. If the event of a rock
thrown at a window, the film will mitigate shards of glass from being dispersed by holding the
broken glass together. This will also further reduce the probability of window penetration.
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Using one-way glass film with impact resistant quality further reduces the targetability of
congregants inside of the structure by obfuscating their silhouettes. When combined, these two
variables greatly increase the survivability of a sniper like attack and mitigate the hazard of razor
sharp glass shard projectiles from maiming congregants.
Hardening doors There are several techniques to improve doors. Replace the strike
plate where the deadbolt secures in the door frame. The strike face is a metal piece generally
secured by two screws. The standard strike plate is capable of keeping the door closed when the
deadbolt is in the locked position. The strike face will not withstand a forced entry. Therefore,
replacing the standard strike plate with a stronger full metal enclosure for the deadbolt to set in
and longer screws will increase the durability to withstand forceful kicks. Now that you understand
how to improve the deadbolt area of the door, lets focus on the other 99% of the door.
To appreciate the reason why doors are a weak point on your structure you need to
understand the support structure around the door. Generally a relatively thin strip of wood and
trim that runs around the door itself, called the door jamb. Door reinforcement kit fortifies the
ability of a door to withstand forceful entry. Products like the $59 Door Devil or $79 StrikeMaster
II add a layer of steel to prevent door frames from splitting, making the act of kicking in a door that
much more difficult. (Han, 2013).
Hollow doors should only be used on the interior of your structure. Replace any hollow
doors on the exterior of the facility with a hard wood or metal door. Remove the short screws
which have been emplaced at the hinges and install three inch to four inch heavy-duty screws
which are hardened with a Torx head. Exposed hinges on the exterior are another week point. Do
your doors open out and are the hinge pins exposed? Consider emplacing a setscrew within the
hinge, a crimped pin as opposed to the standard straight pin, or a safety stud on each exposed
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hinge. These three methods stop the hinge pin from being easily removed which will enable the
assailant to lift the door up and out of the door jam.
Finally, increase lighting on the exterior doors as well as employment of either operational
CCTV cameras or dummy cameras as an extra layer of defense to further deter anyone
considering breaking and entering into your house of worship.
o Interior Facility Security
Alarmed facility Installing a hard wired security system on the interior of the facility will
reduce the hazard of fire or burglary at your house of worship. Round-the-clock monitoring of the
interior and the exterior perimeter guard your facility through a central monitoring panel which
sends messaging to a control center. Furthermore, reducing the hazard of loss will assist in
keeping insurance premiums lower. Even when the building is empty, motion sensors, smoke
detection sensors, and door and window sensors monitor for intrusion and fire.
If an alarm activates, a message is sent to an alarm monitoring control desk, the
dispatcher subsequently notifies law enforcement and the building custodian of the alarm
activation. A basic system consists of the following: control panel, keypad (an arming station
secured to the wall), door contacts, siren, and detectors (motion detector, smoke detector, or heat
detector). Again, make sure the system is expandable and hard wired, meaning the wires run
through the walls and are not exposed. (Protect, 2016). Ensure that the company you hire is
bonded, licensed, or registered.
Just like everything else, this too costs a substantial amount of money. You have choices
as you proceed. You can purchase a do-it-yourself system for a onetime fee of around $500-
$1,000. You will need to purchase; CCTV cameras, key code panel and motion sensors, and
intrusion detection alarms. A professional security system installation will cost a bit more than the
do-it-yourself option and there are recurrent charges to maintain hardware and for monitoring
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services, anticipate a monthly charge of $50 - $250. Ensure that you get multiple quotes before
selecting a company to hire.
To save yourself time and money in the long run, follow these tips as you gather quotes:
1. Ask questions, and keep asking until you get specific answers. If you don't understand a
line-item in a quote, insist on a full explanation.
2. If you know specific features you want included, say so when requesting the quote.
3. Be blunt with your sales representative. If the price is too high or the offering too sparse,
tell them. Don't be shy about being frank.
4. Ask for discounts, especially on installation charges. If you're being provided with a custom
quote, there should be room for negotiation (How much, 2016).
Panic Button Banks have relied on panic buttons for years. This simple last line of
defense is a strategically placed device, that summons law enforcement when activated. This tool
should only be used for emergency situations. The device should be placed in a discreet location,
such as under the desk in the entrance to the facility or adjacent to the leaders chair. The key is
that the placement is within an arms reach of an employee who will most probably be positioned
to first observe a bad situation developing. The person charged with hitting the button should be
able to without anyone knowing. Panic buttons can be purchased and monitored through most
alarm companies.
A firearm We previously discussed the American gun culture. Take a realistic as
opposed to a pragmatic approach and accept the physical facts of life in the US. Guns are easily
accessible by virtually anyone. The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun, is with a good guy with
a gun and better aim. If you elect to purchase and maintain a weapon, there are several common
sense items you and your fellow panel members will need to address. First, the type of weapon or
weapons to purchase. I would propose a simple .38 caliber revolver, as this is a point and shoot
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weapon system. There is no safety, it is extremely easy to operate, and simple to reload.
Consider purchasing low penetration rounds, there is a lower chance of the projectile going
through walls. Although, these rounds still maintain enough power to mitigate a human threat.
Another option is the basic hollow point home protection round.
Store the weapon in a biometric gun case which identifies the user through recognition of
finger prints. An alternative is the cypher lock style gun case, where the user places four fingers
on four buttons and depresses buttons according to the preset combination. You will need to
keep the lock box out of sight of congregants (especially children). Keep the lock box secured to
something immobile with the lanyard that is included or bold the box down. The weapon should
be easily accessible. More than one person should have the combination or be biometrically
enrolled to access.
Figure 21. Examples of Gun Cases
Training needs to occur at a local gun range in order to learn safe handling, maintenance,
shooting fundamentals. All personnel with access to the secured weapon should be required to
train on the weapon system.
This can become a very contentious issue in some houses of worship. Weapons represent
the antithesis of what some God fearing people want inside of their respective house of God. In
some instances, it is quite the opposite and guns are part of the community and many of the
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congregants are armed. The survey results identified 44% of respondents feel less secure with an
armed congregant guarding access to the building.
o Concealed Carry Rules
Carrying a concealed firearm is another option. The following pertains to grounds, exterior
of facility, and interior of the facility. If you are in a state which permits a licensed concealed
firearm, you have no obligation to seek permission as long as there is not a standing policy
restricting weapons on the premises. Therefore, in blue states unless otherwise identified, you
are clear to carry your concealed weapon into a house of worship. Many states have laws that
specifically address schools that are within (houses of worship). In states where there is no
specific legislation concealed carry holders need to be careful when carrying in which there is a
school in the building particularly during the week when the school is in use. Check with your
local attorney and get clarity with the potential implications in your state. (Paulsen, 2016)
Blue states Houses of worship are the same as any other private property and may restrict or
authorize on an individual basis or collectively as an institution.
Red state Concealed carry prohibited in a house of worship.
Yellow: Concealed carry allowed only with permission by the house of worship leadership.
Figure 22. (Paulsen, 2016) State rules for Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) at Houses of Worship
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o Cyber Security
Talking about cyber security the FBI makes an analogous argument by stating, If you
dont lock your car, its vulnerable (How, 2016). This means, to reduce vulnerability of your
computer you need to secure it. There is no longer a clear delineation where physical security
efforts end and where cyber security begins. In our technological age, it is essential to recognize
that complete security expands beyond the physical realm. Security cameras, automated lights,
and alarm panels are a few examples of physical measures which are virtually connected to a
network either via a hard line or a Wi-Fi signal.
There are several best practices in regards to divulgence of solicited information. First, the
administrative staff needs to understand what information should never be disseminated upon
online or telephonic request. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) should never be relayed
unencrypted. Furthermore, ensure the sender and the receiver have cleared transmittal through
the owner of the PII. Online bank clients need to adhere to the measures emplaced by the
banking industry. Dont accept communications or divulge personal information to anyone
claiming to be from your congregations bank. Instead, call the banking institution back using their
published number. (Terman, SECR-5080). Do not divulge information to anyone calling and
identifying they are from a government agency. Rather, follow the same protocol and contact the
agencies officially listed number.
One layer of defense alone is not impenetrable. Together, the following individual
measures will substantially lessen the risk by creating a layered defense. Regularly update anti-
virus protection and ensure firewalls are turned on. Firewalls can facilitate quick detection of
suspicious activity. The firewall sets a barrier wall between your system and the rest of the
internet.
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A successful attack from outside network to inside network is gradually made from
numerous network scan probing and failed attacks. Intrusion Detection System set inside the
firewall can't get all the information of network scan probing and failed attacks because part of the
information has been blocked off by the firewall. So the system can only give administrator
warning when intrusion is actually happening. (Tongshen, 2004). Where a firewall truly adds
value is by alarming in the event of an attack as well as buying time for IT professionals to cordon
off and eliminate the threat. (Terman, Webster University SECR-5080).
Frequently delete archived information in an effort to reduce what a potential cyber intruder
or hacker could steal. Use varied passwords for all login sites and ensure they are long and
random enough to be considered strong. Another strength is keeping the Operating System (OS)
updated with the latest security patch. Periodic updates help to maintain the most current
technological requirements and resolve security issues. Review your programs and eliminate
ones that were not deliberately installed in an effort to remove excess cookies. Download
Microsoft Silverlight or a similar program to monitor, identify, and remove cookies. Installation of
Silverlight will increase the capability of your antispyware program.
Another precaution, be very careful what you elect to download. Carelessly downloading
e-mail attachments can circumvent even the most vigilant anti-virus software. Never open an e-
mail attachment from someone you dont know, and be wary of forwarded attachments from
people you do know. They may have unwittingly advanced malicious code. (How, 2016). Finally,
turn off the computer when not in use. Turning the computer off effectively severs an attackers
connectionbe it spyware or a botnet that employs your computers resources to reach out to
other unwitting users. (How, 2016). Ensure that cellular devices are to the same standard as
your house of worship network when utilized in an official capacity.
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The future is now and security applications will continue to evolve. Biometrics will provide
secondary authentication, voice, retinal ID, and fingerprint will enable authentication. (Terman,
Webster University SECR-5080). Voice biometric computer software verifies whether the voice
matches the caller using more than 100 biometric characteristics. (McGlasson, 2007).
Eventually, DNA will be used to verify a user. Security analysts will be able to gain quick
accesses to networks operated by cybercriminals and determine the affected clients. The
analysts can then sound the alarm to the affected client and to law enforcement warning of a
possible attack in progress, facilitating immediate countermeasures. (Terman, Webster University
SECR-5080)
In the following sections you will learn what needs to be done. Do not get overwhelmed.
How would you eat an elephant? The answer is, one bite at a time! Approach this effort
deliberately, maintain records, set due out timelines, and have tactical patience. You have four
tasks to accomplish and many subtasks as you undertake this mission.
1. Team building phase: Leverage the right people.
2. Fact gathering phase: Conduct the security survey.
3. Planning phase: Create the security plan and resource the logistics.
4. Execution phase: Implement, assess, and refine the plan.
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- Part 9: Planning with the Team
As you proceed to read through the planning instructions, please consider your house of
worships physical proximity to emergency services. During your decision making process identify
response times by local law enforcement. The average active shooter scenario lasts about 12.5
minutes. The national average for police response to priority one calls is about 11 minutes. In
rural areas it can take over an hour for emergency services to arrive.
o Establish a Security Panel
The panel members Your security panel should be composed of key
stakeholders who bring individual subject matter expertise and disciplines to the table. The task is
to create a plan for contingencies, do not get bogged down by the paralysis by analysis
conundrum. Ensure the person charged with chairing the security panel meeting has specific
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tasks, a defined purpose, as well as any expected take away from each meeting; in other words,
do not waste peoples time.
1. Someone with law enforcement or military background will assist with tactical planning and
coordination.
2. An instructor or a teacher can aid with instructing congregants as well as curriculum
development and resourcing training material.
3. A lawyer is crucial because understanding the codes and ordinances as well as local
laws assists in cutting through government red tape.
4. The building manager can greatly assist with structural limitations and capabilities as
well as construction insight.
5. Accounting should be involved with planning, for visibility and assist in allocating the
funding you will need to execute the plan.
6. A representative from your county or city police crime prevention unit can support by
informing on local threat trends and reporting.
7. The men and women of your house of worship bring a ground truth insight and their
feedback should be considered invaluable. Pay attention to the congregants.
Emergency Action Plan (EAP) One of the primary tasks of a security panel is to create
an EAP or security plan. Create the EAP with input from several stakeholders including your
human resources department, your training department (if one exists), facility owners / operators,
your property manager, and local law enforcement and/or emergency responders. (United
States, 2008 Page 6, Par. 2). The following list is some of the key information that should be
included in the EAP:
1. The method for reporting emergencies to fire, law enforcement, medical, structural, and
electrical agencies.
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2. The planned evacuation guidance to include, routes of movement, floor plans, safe
locations and accountability procedures.
3. Contact listing to include those charged with creating the EAP, Local hospital information
as well as routes to the hospital, local law enforcement, and a communications plan to
alert other congregants of the situation.
4. Plan to ensure all media receive accurate and identical information in response to their
queries. Identify a point of contact that will be the de-facto spokesman for your house of
worship.
5. Create an emergency chain of command line and block chart for ready reference.
6. Create a sign out protocol for students taken out of classes prior to the normal end time.
7. Create access control protocol which require the sign in/sign out for visitors.
8. Actions for dealing with menacing, suspicious, or violent person.
9. Codify lockdown procedures.
10. Formulate a training rubric to teach and assess the skills.
11. Create a drill schedule to exercise the skills.
12. Weather emergency actions.
13. Develop a roster of emergency numbers.
14. Establish bomb threat procedures.
15. Include the blueprints of the facility and an aerial view of the grounds in the final product.
As you continue to assess your situation and initiate planning, consider the utility of
assumption based planning. This approach leverages those valuable lessons learned from a
historical precedence perspective which can assist with predictive analysis for future events. This
methodology further contributes to readiness for common contingencies while also creating a
baseline to adjust off of, for atypical events. (Terman, Webster University SECR-5080).
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o Conduct a Comprehensive Security Survey
Survey your house of worship on a regular basis, generally once annually or when there is
a change of panel members, or new construction considerations. Follow this checklist as It offers
an outline of what right looks like. Furthermore, this checklist gives you a better understanding of
the areas you and the team should be addressing. Circle the following questions "yes" or "no" as
you inspect your business. Any answer marked "no" should be assessed and if appropriate,
correct the deficiency. If a line item is not applicable, line through the question and move on.
A. Exteriors
Are exterior lights bright enough to allow a newspaper to be read? Yes No
Are exterior lights protected by wire cages over the bulbs? Yes No
Are exterior lights serviced by a backup power supply? Yes No
Are exterior lights around the parking lot working? Yes No
Are the lights in, above, or near all entrances working? Yes No
Are the lights for outdoor areas bright and working? Yes No
Are all fences in good repair? Yes No
Are shrubs and bushes near entrances and around the parking lot Yes No
trimmed to eliminate hiding places?
Are the fences around outdoor patios, terraces and gardens Yes No
secured and in good repair?
Is the furniture in outdoor areas secured or locked inside the Yes No
building during non-operating hours?
Is the trash or Dumpster area well lit? Is the lid or cover to the Yes No
trash or Dumpster locked to prevent illegal dumping or someone
hiding inside?
Are mirrors installed on the corners of the building so an Yes No
employee has a view of the sides and back of the building from
the back doorway.
B. Doors, Windows and Other Openings

Are all entrance doors clearly visible from either the parking lot or Yes No
the street?
Do all entrances have shatterproof windows that allow a person Yes No
to look outside before opening the door?
Are all doors fire-rated, self-closing and hinged on the outside? Yes No
Are all locks in good repair? Yes No
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Are back doors locked during operating hours to prevent entry of Yes No
intruders, and equipped with panic hardware for emergency exit?
Are employee entrances and other entrances/exits closed Yes No
securely and locked to prevent entry of intruders?
Are height lines marked on the door frame or on the wall where Yes No
they can be seen by employees at the cash register to help
identify the height of robbers or burglars?
Are windows clear of posters or signs that block the view inside Yes No
and outside?
Are all window locks in good repair? Yes No
Do windows, French or patio doors that open have secure Yes No
working locks?
Are windows that can open always closed and locked when the Yes No
business is closed?
Do all windows and skylights have strong frames, safety glass Yes No
and locks or bars?
Are the locks on safety bars covering windows and skylights in Yes No
good repair?
Can the window locks and safety bars be easily unlocked by Yes No
employees to use as an emergency exit if necessary?
Are heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ducts covered to Yes No
prevent entry?
Are heating, ventilation and air conditioning ducts at least 10 ft. Yes No
off the ground?
C. Interior Areas
Are all interior rooms and hallways lighted well enough so that Yes No
anyone in them can be seen?
Are there clear lines of sight between storage racks so anyone in Yes No
storage areas can be seen?
Can any employee in a storage area clearly see the doorway and Yes No
be aware if another person enters the room?
Are hallways free of boxes or equipment that might provide hiding Yes No
places?
Are mirrors positioned strategically in long corridors so an Yes No
employee can see along the entire length?
Are windows and locks on window in restrooms in good repair to Yes No
prevent entry or exit of an intruder?
Is access to the employee locker room or break room limited to Yes No
employees?
Are employees instructed to leave their valuables at home or Yes No
locked away from public access?
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Do employees provide their own locks for their lockers and use Yes No
them?
Are lockers or break rooms monitored for security violations and Yes No
employee safety?
Are time clocks and time cards in a secure location Yes No
D. Property and Equipment

Is all property and equipment tagged or marked with an Inventory Yes No
number?
Is there a written inventory that lists all equipment and supplies? Yes No
Is the written inventory updated as necessary and stored in a safe Yes No
place off premises?
Are employees assigned responsibility for the whereabouts and Yes No
condition of equipment and property?
Is the inventory inspected and counted on a regular basis? Yes No
Are there written employee policies for personal use of equipment Yes No
and property?
Are employees packages and bags checked during entry and exit Yes No
from the building to prevent the removal of food, supplies or
equipment?
E. General Security Systems

Are there procedures for making, storing, dispersing and retrieving Yes No
all keys or access cards to the facilities and safes?
Are lock cylinders or access codes kept secret and changed as Yes No
necessary?
Are security controls in place and used for all point-of sale and Yes No
office computer systems?
Are computer access codes kept secret and changed as Yes No
necessary?
Are policies in place against allowing former employees/ Yes No
acquaintances/relatives or current employees in the facility after
closing, or in restricted areas during business hours?
Are signs posted to deter theft (such as "Cash register has less Yes No
than $20," "This business is protected by an alarm system" and
"Employees cannot open safe")?
Have employees been told not to give out information about Yes No
operating and security procedures to guests,
telephone callers and outside contractors/vendors?
Are identification badges, nametags or uniforms used to identify Yes No
employees?
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Are employees required to park far enough from the building so that Yes No
they cannot transfer stolen items to their vehicles?
Are employee arrivals and departures restricted to certain times Yes No
and doorways?
Is employee access to the building restricted on days off? Yes No
F. Sensor and Alarm Systems

Are sensors and alarms used for each entrance, all storage areas, Yes No
cash register and safes?
Are sensors and alarms properly set? Yes No
Are sensor and alarms maintained in working order? Yes No
Are alarms tested regularly by the supplier? Yes No
Are employees trained in the policies and use of alarm and sensor Yes No
systems?
Do employees know what to do in the event of a false alarm or Yes No
accidental triggering?
Are all security systems and security-related renovations checked Yes No
against accessibility requirements?
G. Security Personnel & Contracted Security Services

Do security officers arrive and leave on time? Yes No
Do security officers follow all established procedures for patrols and Yes No
other duties?
Do security contractors or guards submit reports? Yes No
Are security reports submitted in a timely manner? Yes No
Are security reports detailed and accurate? Yes No
Are security officers well trained and competent? Yes No
H. Cash Management Procedures

Cash Registers
Are cash registers located in central areas and not near exits? Yes No
Is lighting over all cash registers bright, to ensure visibility from the Yes No
street and from other rooms?
Is access to cash registers limited to certain employees? Yes No
Are there written employee policies for the handling of money and Yes No
receipts?
Are employees who handle cash transactions trained in cash handling Yes No
procedures?
Have employees signed a cash-handling policy statement? Yes No
Are all employees who handle cash, checks and credit cards trained Yes No
to recognize forgery and counterfeit money, money orders, travelers
checks and driver licenses and how to deal with con artists?
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Are managers required to oversee all corrections of errors in cash Yes No
register entries?
If your point-of-sale system allows the handling of cash, are cashiers Yes No
required to make deposits in drop safes?
Are hourly drops for money required? Yes No
Are employees who handle cash instructed in policies regarding cash Yes No
back on checks, credit cards or gift certificates?
Before opening, are cash registers supplied with a minimum amount Yes No
of cash?
Are receipts generated for each cash register transaction? Yes No
Is one transaction completed and rung out before another is begun? Yes No
Are cash drawers to all registers kept closed and locked between Yes No
transactions?
Are "over-rings" and "voids" on point-of-sale computers and cash Yes No
registers approved by managers before transactions are completed?
Are tape receipts reconciled with cash in the drawer at least once Yes No
each shift?
Is excess cash removed from registers during the day to prevent a Yes No
build-up of cash on hand?
Are cash and credit card receipts removed from the facility or securely Yes No
locked away after each business day?
Safes
Is money counted only behind a closed, locked door? Yes No
Are all receipts counted and cash deposited and secured in a safe at Yes No
the end of the day?
Are safes equipped with secure one-way drop slots for deposits? Yes No
Are safe combinations written down and kept in a secure location? Yes No
Are safes secured to the floor or wall so they cannot be removed? Yes No
Are safes kept locked at all times? Yes No
If the safe is in a managers office, is the office locked when Yes No
Bank Deposits
Does the manager oversee the preparation of money for bank Yes No
deposits?
Are deposits made by different managers or employees? Yes No
Are deposits made in a timely manner so that cash does not build up Yes No
to high amounts?
Are deposits sent to bank by armored car or bonded messenger? Yes No
Is money to be deposited in the bank in a bag or package that does Yes No
not look like a bank deposit bag?
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If the manager or an employee takes deposits to the bank, is the Yes No
route, the day and time of bank deposits varied constantly to prevent
a predictable pattern that robbers might follow?
While at the bank, do employees know not to talk to anyone except Yes No
the teller?
If a night deposit slot or box at the bank is used after hours, do Yes No
employees know they should not approach it if other people are
standing around?
Do employees know to report any unusual occurrences they may Yes No
notice on the way to or while they are at the bank?
Are bank receipts received and maintained on file for all deposits? Yes No
Accounting Procedures
Are checks and deposit slips locked up? Yes No
Is access to checks, deposit slips and receipts divided up by two or Yes No
more managers or employees to provide a system of checks and
balances in accounting procedures?
If applicable, are the bonding requirements for employees met? Yes No
Are all payments made by check countersigned by Bonded Yes No
signatories?
Are bank statements promptly reconciled against deposit records and Yes No
checks issued?
Are both regular and unannounced audits performed? Yes No
If paychecks are generated on a back-office computer, are these Yes No
checks and access to the computer system limited to the certain
individuals and kept locked?
Is petty cash kept to a minimum and properly secured? Yes No
Are receipts for petty cash recorded and balanced regularly? Yes No
Are security paper and/or security features used to prevent Yes No
illegal duplication or alteration of paychecks or gift certificates
produced by an on-site computer?
Is there a record-keeping system to monitor the disbursement and Yes No
receipt of gift certificates and coupons, so they cannot be duplicated or
used more than once?
I. Employee Work Procedures

Do employees understand the legal definition of theft, and the business Yes No
definition?
Have all employees received, read and signed a written policy on Yes No
security procedures, including theft, drug and alcohol abuse,
harassment and the employees responsibilities for compliance?
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Do employees understand company actions in the event of a policy Yes No
violation?
Have employees signed a consent form to follow all Yes No
established policies and to abide by actions taken in the event of a
violation?
Are signed employee consent forms kept on file by the manager? Yes No
J. Opening and Closing the Facility

Are security practices integrated into procedures for opening and Yes No
closing?
Are there written policies for employees who open and close the Yes No
facility?
Is a manager always present for opening and closing? Yes No
Are employees trained in opening and closing procedures? Yes No
Do employees work in teams to open and close? Yes No
Do employees inspect the exterior of the building for signs of a Yes No
burglary or vandalism before entering?
Do employees observe anyone who might be in the area before Yes No
unlocking and entering the business?
Do employees lock the door behind them and keep it locked until its Yes No
time to open for business?
Are employees told to allow only scheduled employees to enter the Yes No
business before opening hours?
Do employees make a complete inspection of the facility before Yes No
closing to confirm no one is hiding inside? Including the restrooms?
Are employees told not to let in anyone after closing? Yes No
Are all doors locked promptly at closing and kept locked until while Yes No
any employees are in the business?
Do employees follow all opening and closing procedures? Yes No
K. Taking Out the Trash

Is trash taken out together by two or more employees? Yes No
Is the back door closed and locked after the trash is dumped? Yes No
Is trash only taken outside to the Dumpster before dark? Yes No
Are trashcans, non-flattened boxes inspected by a manager to see Yes No
that no merchandise or supplies are being removed from the
business?
Are Dumpster and trash enclosures kept clean, neat and uncluttered Yes No
to minimize hiding places?
Is the trash compacted at the time it is deposited in the compactor? Yes No
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L. Working with Vendors
Is vendor access to the restaurant limited to specific times, entrances Yes No
and areas within the building?
Are vendors supervised by a specified employee or the manager while Yes No
they are on the premises?
Are manager-approved purchase orders required before ordering Yes No
supplies?
Are all shipments/supplies immediately checked against invoices? Yes No
Are all received supplies spot-checked as necessary for correct quality Yes No
and quantity ordered?
Are all received supplies removed from the dock/receiving area to Yes No
storage as soon as possible?
Are boxes and "empties" removed by vendors checked to make sure Yes No
supplies or equipment are not being hidden inside?
Are all stock supplies given inventory numbers and rotated to ensure Yes No
use?
Is a written inventory maintained and updated daily or weekly for Yes No
everything in stock/storage?
M. Working with Contractors

Is access by a contractor limited to specific times, entrances and Yes No
areas within the building?
Are contractors supervised by a specified employee or the manager Yes No
while on the premises?
Are contracts reviewed by a lawyer or the legal department before Yes No
they are signed?
If necessary, is approval granted for a contract before it is signed? Yes No
Are records or reports of all work performed by contractors compared Yes No
to terms in the contract and kept on file?
Management Work Procedures

Is access by a contractor limited to specific times, entrances and Yes No
areas within the building?
Are contractors supervised by a specified employee or the manager Yes No
while on the premises?
Are contracts reviewed by a lawyer or the legal department before Yes No
they are signed?
If necessary, is approval granted for a contract before it is signed? Yes No
Are records or reports of all work performed by contractors compared Yes No
to terms in the contract and kept on file?
N. Training and Monitoring Employees

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Is local or first-line management involved in security training for Yes No
employees, security inspections and communication about security
policies?
Are new employees aware of the serious effects for the business, and Yes No
their own livelihood, from even small thefts or security policy
violations?
Have employees received training in security procedures and Yes No
policies?
Have employees been trained to use the security systems? Yes No
Are work schedules posted and changed only with the managers Yes No
permission?
If employees are assigned to report and correct safety violations, are Yes No
they given the training, time, and authority to carry out these
assignments?
Are employees uncomfortable about reporting security violations to Yes No
management?
Are employees provided with recognition or incentives for following Yes No
security rules?
Are employees given praise for noticing security violations and Yes No
bringing them to the attention of management?
O. General Management Practices

Is senior management involved in creating security policy and regularly Yes No
informed of security issues?
Are all employee records and files kept confidential and locked? Yes No
Are references checked for each job applicant? Yes No
If drug testing is used, are signed permission forms obtained from the Yes No
employees when hired and kept on file?
Are the results of drug test kept confidential and locked up? Yes No
Is local management trained to recognize signs of theft, drug and Yes No
alcohol abuse or severe employee discontent?
Are exit interviews conducted and written notes from these interviews Yes No
kept on file for dismissed employees and those who chose to leave?
P. Guest Security
Are signs warning about possible security dangers posted near the Yes No
parking lot, entrances, guest coat racks, and restrooms where guests
can easily read and understand them?
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Are guests coats and their belongings checked using proper checking Yes No
procedures and receipts?
If valet parking is provided, are proper procedures used for parking, Yes No
storing keys and returning cars?
Are guests protected from assaults by employees, other guests and Yes No
intruders?
Are there written procedures for employees that describe how to Yes No
protect guests from other guests, intruders or emergencies, such as
unruly crowds?
Are there report forms for the use of employees or managers to record Yes No
incidents involving theft or unruly behavior?
Q. Procedures for Handling a Security Emergency

Is there a written policy for dealing with theft, robberies, alarm Yes No
responses, threats and other security issues?
Are report forms accessible to employees to fill out in the event of an Yes No
incident?
Do employees finish reports on time and accurately? Yes No
Have employees been trained in the procedures for handling a Yes No
robbery, violence, and other security situations?
Is there a poster or sticker near all telephones with emergency Yes No
procedures and numbers?
Is the name of the business, street address, and telephone number Yes No
written on or near all phones?
Figure 23. (The Complete Security Survey, 2016)
Congratulations, you have convinced your fellow parishioners of the necessity for planning,
have identified the deficiencies, collectively understand your facilities strengths and weaknesses,
and are ready to prioritize what needs to be changed to improve the overall security posture.
Next, we will discuss a method that will assist in that prioritization of effort process. During the
execution phase, you will need to leverage money and resources to actuate the plan. There are
funds and training available through many different programs.
o CARVER Method for Prioritization of Efforts
The military uses the CARVER method to identify which kinetic or non-kinetic target should
be prosecuted first. For our purposes, when assessing which risk to counter you will consider the
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same process with a different purpose and end state. Each of the elements are assigned a
numerical value. The highest number is the highest priority to produce countermeasures against.
Criticality: How important is the thing you are attempting to protect?
Accessibility: How difficult is it for the enemy to physically or electronically access?
Recuperable: How much time is needed to recover if this was targeted by an enemy actor?
Vulnerability: How easily compromised is this target of attack, and to what degree of
knowledge is required to adversely affect it?
Effect: How will an attack on this impact the organization as a whole?
Recognizable: How easy is it to identify the thing/person/place as the target?
Through utilization of the CARVER matrix the security panel will accomplish two things.
First, better understanding of what is the most vulnerable target. This provides a clearer
understanding of what needs to be countered first. Second, the method will assist in appropriate
resource allocation. The matrix is simple as depicted below, write down the targets on the left
side and annotate the components of the acronym CARVER on the top. You will rank each
identified target based on each of the components with a simple 1-5 numeric allocated, 1 is very
low and 5 is very high.
Target C A R V E R Total
Priest/Rabbi/Imam office 3 2 4 2 5 4 20
Entrance area of building 5 5 2 4 4 5 25
Internet Server room 4 1 3 5 3 1 17
Based on the three targets identified in this scenario, the priority of focus should be focused
on improving the entrance area of the building.
o Nest Your Plan into the City or County Plan for better Coordination
Read your city or county level Base Emergency Operations Plan (BEOP). The local EAP
or security plan you develop should nest with that higher plan for coordination, deconfliction, and
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synchronization of efforts. The BEOP should articulate the Federal, State, and local resources
which are binned in mutually supportive echelons of emergency management; Emergency
Support Functions (ESFs). The echelons retain their own unique authorities and resources which
can be leveraged for a tailored response to positively affect the problem set.
The streamlined approach articulated in the BEOP should indicate; when the city or
county declares an emergency, it has the ability to govern operational resources. The full array of
respondent organizations is available. Therefore, a legislative precedence is set on the Federal,
state, and local government to actively support the scope of mission throughout the four phases
of emergency management; mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Your EAP and
established network will facilitate the external agencies expeditious response and recovery based
on your house of worships deliberate and effective preparations for responses to declared
emergencies.
The BEOP preparedness activities are nested into the National Preparedness System and
are meant to improve the Countys ability to react when necessary. Particularly integral to this
mission is sustained efforts made towards planning, equipping, exercising, and evaluating, to
guarantee operational coordination and readiness prior to a disaster. (Paraphrased Terman,
Webster University SECR-5060).
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- Part 10: Training and Drilling Immediate Actions
In part nine, Planning with the Team, we briefly touched two key activities. The first being,
leveraging an instructor or a teacher to aid in instructing congregants, curriculum development,
and resourcing training material. Second, creating a schedule to exercise the skills with
congregants. You have built your team, conducted a security survey, identified deficiencies,
prioritized said deficiencies, and are ready to fill the knowledge gap through training and drilling.
Much of the curriculum you will require is available online for free. Leverage other houses
of worship to borrow their curriculum as well as share yours. Local law enforcement should be
ready to assist in this educational endeavor. You can go about gathering the congregants for a
symposium, during say Sunday school or after a prayer service. Present the information in an
easy and relevant fashion tailored to your target audience. Always maintain simplicity in your
educational approach. When you drill and train the congregants on physical movement from one
location to another, get the crowd involved and moving through the actual scenario; train like you
would fight.
You can start the conversation by pooling the audience on what they individually think
security is and what it is not. This approach will start a conversation and initiate thought. You will
most likely get different perspectives and perceptions from the group. The utility in this approach
is, it assists in gauging the level of understanding which can support a more tailored training
environment. This approach will also reduce anxiety while broaching sensitive subject matter. As
you proceed with instruction, you will articulate the due diligence accomplished by the security
panel, identify the panel members and other stake holder organizations, and describe the
decision making process by utilization of the CARVER method. Identify newly developed
processes and procedures, signage, immediate actions, immediate geographic area threat. The
bottom line is, relate to your audience on how they fit into the evolution of increased security
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posture, at your house of worship as well as the way ahead. After all drills conduct an after action
review to identify what was supposed to happened, what actually happened, and what was
learned.
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- Part 11: Resources at Your Disposal
o Funding
- The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) provides key fiscal backing to houses of
worship in an effort to harden targets associated with nonprofit organizations that are at high
risk of terrorist attack. The program facilitates coordination and collaboration efforts in support
of emergency preparedness activities. Go to: http://www.fema.gov/fiscal-year-2016-nonprofit-
security-grant-program for more information. Total Funding Available in Fiscal Year (FY) 2016
is $20,000,000
- There are several sites which provide current listings of grants available. Go to
https://www.grantwatch.com/cat/11/faith-based-grants.html for up to date announcements,
descriptions, and instructions on how to apply for funding.
o Training
- A youth focused faith-based security Webinar can be found at,
https://icpd.adobeconnect.com/p2lzd3cspk7/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=norm
al This program supports the National strategy to improve education.
- De-escalation training can be found at:
https://personnel.ky.gov/keap/verbal%20de-escalation%20skills%20presentation.ppt
The training is simple and relevant.
- Active shooter videos are abundant on the internet the following is a good resource;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr45zr9IXcs
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- The DHS mission statement is, The vision of homeland security is to ensure a homeland that
is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards. (Our Mission, 2016). Go to:
https://www.fema.gov/faith-resources for a comprehensive list of resources the DHS provides
to protect your house of worship. You will find everything from workplace security awareness
training to surveillance awareness training as well as webinars focused on guiding you
through development of your uniquely tailored EAP.
- Online training is available to you. The below URL will take you to active shooter training as
well as indicators of workplace violence training, and managing the consequences of an
incident. To access this course, go to: 1. http://www.training.fema.gov/is/crslist.aspx 2. Type
Active Shooter in the search bar. IS-907 Active Shooter: What You Can Do
o General Information
- https://scnus.org/ is a Jewish community focused, security minded organization. The site
presents best practice which are transferable across the spectrum of religions. The site gets it
right when it states, Many security measures are available that are low in cost or no cost at
all. An excellent first step is to contact your local law enforcement agency and have them
conduct a vulnerability assessment at your site. This assessment will provide numerous
recommendations to strengthen your crime and terrorism prevention efforts. (SCNUS, 2016)
- American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) is the principal association for security
professionals around the world. ASIS recently released a book named, Crime Prevention for
Houses of Worship. The book pulls from lessons learned subsequent to the massacre at the
Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. This book gives
a critical review of security at religious and cultural facilities. ISBN 978-1-934904-74-9
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https://www.asisonline.org/ASIS-Store/Products/Pages/Crime-Prevention-for-Houses-of-
Worship-2nd-Ed-.aspx?cart=bebe658fd6bf4f178e05445a1469a190
- Next, in the event of an emergency, the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program
(CCP) supports recovery for survivors of natural and human-caused disasters through
community-based outreach, crisis counseling, and other behavioral health services.
(Disaster, 2016). Their mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness
on America's communities. Furthermore, this agency has funding that is available upon
request. The website guides you through the application process
- The Center for Disease Control (CDC) offers a free EAP template at:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2004-101/emrgact/emrgact.pdf
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- Conclusion
There is a secular and a religious precedence which explicitly articulates the
requirement to ensure readiness, protect yourself from danger, and render assistance to others in
danger. You will identify that throughout this paper there were no contextual assertions promoting
one religion or another. This product is meant for all religious groups, regardless of their specific
ideological position or form of worship.
The US Declaration of Independence clearly articulates, We hold these truths to be self-
evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain
unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (US, 1776).
These guarantees have historically been attacked and are currently being actively undermined by
people looking to cause harm. Furthermore, religion is a right of all citizens codified in the religion
focused clauses of the First Amendment. We are extremely fortunate to enjoy the constitutionally
protected freedom of religion in America. Unfortunately, freedom is not necessarily free. The
burden is on you to ready for contingencies, no matter what they might be.
There are scriptural references which support this position as well. The Jewish faith has
been on the receiving end of torturous endeavors since the beginning of recorded history.
According to Rabbienu Bachya, a fourteenth-century author who wrote on Jewish ethics, the
story of the escape from Egypt illustrates the appropriate Jewish attitude toward weapons: people
must use every practical option, including self-defense, before expecting a miracle. (Kopel,
2004). Mosaic law states a person is justified to protect ones self and others against physical
attack. The Book of Exodus absolved a homeowner who killed a burglar at night: If a thief be
found breaking up, and be smitten that he die(s), there shall be no blood shed for him. (Kopel,
2004).
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The Christian faith adheres to Mosaic Law and further espouses in Psalm 82:4 Rescue
the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. (The Biblical, 2013). In Ezekiel
33 there is a reference to vigilance "... 'But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not
blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from
them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman's hand.' In
other words, upon identification of danger you are required to warn others, failure to do so is
equated to you being guilty of harming the victims. (Ezekiel 33:6, New American Standard Bible).
The Muslim Quran states, To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to
fight) for they have been oppressed (Quran 22:39). The Quran goes on to say, And fight in
the cause of Allah (against) those who fight you (Quran 2:190). The Quran finally stipulates
that those defenders have the explicit guarantee of Allah for victory. and verily Allah is well
able to assist them. (Quran 22:39).
A salient take away from this paper is that you now appreciate the necessity to understand
the five Ws as they pertain to overall security. Who is the threat? Who is the team that will ban
together to counter the threat? What is the weakness the adversary will attempt to exploit? What
will the team implement to undermine their attempts? When has this occurred in the past and
when do we assess it will occur in the future? Where are we vulnerable? Where is the enemy?
Why are we potentially targeted?
Understanding the biblical requirement coupled with the constitutional mandates should
invoke a sense of duty to purposely plan to mitigate the risk posed by a given threat.
Implementation of increased security measures will improve your survivability in the event of an
attack on your house of worship. Bottom line, we are living in scary times. Therefore, you are
required to take the initiative to protect your community and now you have the necessary
information required to accomplish this task.
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Finally, ask yourself two questions:
1. Is the threat to our congregants real and exigent in nature?
2. Is my house of worship doing everything possible to protect ourselves from people wishing
to do harm?
There was a recurrent theme when interviewing religious leadership from Jewish, Christian, and
Muslim communities; do the best you can to provide security, the rest is up to God.
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- Glossary of Acronyms
ASIS American Society for Industrial Security
BEOP Base Emergency Operations Plan
CARVER Criticality, Accessibility, Recuperability, Vulnerability, Effect and Recognizability
CCP Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program
CCW Concealed Carry Weapons (permit to carry concealed weapon)
CDC Center for Disease Control
CEW Conducted electrical weapon
CPTED Crime Prevention through Environmental Design
EAP Emergency Action Plan
ESF Emergency Support Functions
FHSS Frequency hopping spread spectrum
IED Improvised explosive device
NCTC National Counter Terrorism Center
NICS National Instant Criminal Background
NSGP Nonprofit Security Grant Program
NRA National Rifle Association
OPSEC Operations Security
OS Operating System
PII Personal Identification Information
POL Pattern of life
PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder
SOP Standard Operating Procedures
VBIEDs Vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK221638/ the National Academy of Sciences
44. United States of America, Department of Homeland Security, Infrastructure Protection.

(2013). Houses of Worship Security Practices Guide (pp. 1-21).
45. United States, Department of Homeland Security. (2008). Active Shooter - How to
Respond (pp. 1-13).
46. UNK, P. (2014, October 13). The God who reconciles us to himself. Retrieved September
9, 2016, from http://www.thoughtfortheweek.co.uk/tag/margaret-thatcher/
90 | P a g e
- Caveat
There are no assurances beyond those contained in the following paragraph.
The author has used his best efforts in preparation of this paper. Although, the author
makes no guarantees in respect to the correctness or completeness of the findings and
repudiates any implied guarantees to which state otherwise. The information in this paper is
not guaranteed to produce any certain result. Furthermore, the author is not to be held liable
for monetary loss or any other damages associated with utilization of this documents
guidance. The information and strategies contained herein are not necessarily appropriate for
every institution. Finally, the author is not certified to render any professional services.
Institutions necessitating these type services are recommended to consult an appropriate
expert.
91 | P a g e

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SOP AND EAP GUIDANCE FOR HOUSES OF WORSHIP IN THE US

AN ARGUMENT FOR IMPROVED SECURITY POSTURE AND READINESS AT

Webster University - SECR 6000 Thesis

endorsements to defend against aggressors.

- Part 1: Operations Security (OPSEC) the Foundation Layer Page 8 10

o 1.1 Enemy Surveillance Page 10

o 1.2 Friendly Vigilance Page 10 11

- Part 2: Psychological Considerations

o 2.1 Psychology of Complacency Page 12 14

o 2.2 Psychology of Hate Page 14 15

o 2.3 Macro View: Is US Society a Contributing Factor? Page 15 17

o 2.4 The Psychology of In-Group Favoritism Page 17 18

o 2.5 Method to Win Over the Fence Sitter Page 18

o 2.6 Psychological Effects on Congregants After a Terroristic Attack Page 18 19

o 2.7 Internal Threat Indicators Page 19 20

- Part 3: Ideology of Hate

o 3.1 Hate Groups Page 21 22

o 3.2 Extremism and the Lone Wolf Page 22 26

- Part 4: Access to weapons and the American Gun Culture Page 26 28

- Part 5: Historic Threats and Incidents Page 29 32

- Part 6: Use of Force

o 6.1 De-escalation Page 33 34

o 6.2 Force Continuum Page 35 38

o 6.3 Use of Force Legal Considerations Page 38 39

o 7.1 Post Local Emergency Service Numbers Page 40

o 7.2 Bomb Threat Immediate Actions Page 41 42

o 7.3 Lockdown or Evacuation Page 43

o 7.4 Suspicious Item Found Page 44

o 7.5 Active Shooter Page 45 47

o 7.6 Building a Ready Bag; Logistics Page 47 48

o 7.7 Assembly Areas and Accountability Page 48 49

- Part 8: Physical and Cyber Security

o 8.1 Grounds and Exterior Building Security Features Page 50 56

o 8.2 Interior Security Page 56 59

o 8.3 Concealed Carry Rules Page 59

o 8.4 Cyber Security Page 60 62

- Part 9: Planning with Your Team

o 9.1 Establish a Security Panel Page 63 65

o 9.2 Conduct a Comprehensive Security Survey Page 66 75

o 9.3 CARVER Method for Prioritization of Efforts Page 76

o 9.4 Planning Nested with a City or County Plan Page 77

- Part 10: Training and Drilling the Immediate Actions Page 78

- Part 11: Resources at Your Disposal Page 80 82

- Glossary of Acronyms Page 86

congregants, made up of 230 diverse denominations. Generally, congregations have one

to mitigate the threat.

the knowledge gap will effectively contract.

mind sets of congregants and their leadership.

19 September, 2016, I conducted a survey to garner general atmospherics of Americans

There are five steps in the OPSEC process:

Conduct an analysis of vulnerabilities Examples of this activity are assessing the

security panel will work to mitigate the identified risks.

Assessment of risk A deliberate evaluation of possible threats in contradiction of

risk impact. An example of a countermeasure is as follows: Consideration of the threat analysis

Recognizable) method of risk assessment and countermeasure selection.

compiled in order to create a targeting deck on you or your fellow congregants.

mitigate the hazard.

giving usable information to the adversary and do not realize it.

synagogues, the gentleman identified a systematic approach of rings of security, intelligence

this comprehensive approach out of necessity.

learning to trust and act on our instincts.

- Part 2: Psychological Considerations

God replies, what do you want, I sent three boats!

Figure 1. (Survey, 2016) Security Threat to Congregants in Houses of Worship in the US