Church Security Planning Workshop :

Church Security Planning Workshop

The S2 Institute Church Security Planning Workshop is a one-day seminar designed to educate leaders about effective security and emergency readiness measures for reducing risk of active shooter violence in houses of worship. In this program, security consultant Craig Gundry presents a comprehensive risk management strategy specifically designed to address the unique challenges of protecting church congregations while promoting an atmosphere conducive to worship and spiritual celebration.

To assist church officials in assessing their current security measures and identifying potential options for improvement, a series of self-assessment exercises are conducted through the course of the program.

The protective measures and emergency preparations explored during the Church Security Planning Workshop reflect state-of-the-art practices in church security and lessons learned from previous attacks against houses of worship. Emphasis in this program is placed on common problems encountered by churches and practical solutions based on the instructor’s extensive experience working with houses of worship and similar facilities around the world.

Summary of topics include:

Dynamics of Active Shooter Violence in Churches • Security Risk Management Strategy • Suspicious Activity Recognition and Reporting • Psychology of Targeted Violence • Threat Assessment and Church Security • Physical Security and Houses of Worship • Church Security Team Planning • Emergency Response Planning and Preparation

- Understand important principles about security risk management in schools
- Develop and implement policies and procedures to reinforce positive school climate and culture
- Reconcile potential conflicts between security issues and school climate and culture
- Understand the pathway to targeted violence and dynamics of mass homicide in schools
- Recognize warning behaviors and students who may be progressing toward violence
- Develop a student threat assessment plan and implement effective procedures in conducting threat assessments
- Understand the principles of effective physical security design as applicable to schools
- Recognize critical vulnerabilities in school physical security and emergency infrastructure, and prescribe effective improvements
- Develop effective emergency response plans for dictating actions during imminently-dangerous events
- Develop a school reunification plan

- Dynamics of Active Shooter Violence in Churches
  - Mass Homicide in Houses of Worship: The Risk in Perspective
  - Characteristics of Active Shooters in Churches
- Risk Management & Church Security
  - Security Risk Management Strategy
  - Reconciling Challenges Unique to Houses of Worship
- Suspicious Activity Recognition and Reporting
  - Information Gathering Preceding Attacks
  - Suspicious Activity Indicators
    - Training Church Staff
  - Suspicious Activity Reporting
- Threat Assessment and Church Security
  - Psychology of Targeted Violence
  - Behavior of Concern and Threat Reporting
  - Threat Assessment Principles
    - Practical Threat Assessment Approaches for Churches
  - Warning Behaviors
  - Managing Threatening Situations
- Physical Security and Churches
  - Physical Security Design Principles
    - Performance and Historical Church Attack Cases
  - Key Objectives
  - Church Protective Layers
  - Outdoor Protective Measures
    - Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
    - Playgrounds and Outdoor Congregation Areas
    - Outdoor Attack Detection
    - Church Security Team Deployment
  - Church Building Façade and Entrances
    - Specification for Doors, Locks, Gazing, etc.
    - Church Entry Control Plans
    - Rapid Lockdown Capability and Optional Solutions
  - Sanctuaries
    - Lockdown Capability and Optional Solutions
    - Egress Design
  - Activity Rooms
    - Safe Refuge Criteria
      - Specification for Doors, Locks, Gazing, etc.
      - Ballistic Barriers & Standards
  - Access Control Systems
    - Hardware Selection
    - Lockdown Event Design
  - CCTV and Churches
  - Emergency Communications and Churches
    - Public Address and Alert
      - Common Problems and Solutions
  - Church Security Teams
    - Team Selection and Organization
    - Church Security Team Training
    - Deployment and Post Assignment
    - Security Control Rooms
    - Policies, Procedures, and Managing Liability
- Emergency Response Plans for Churches
  - Planning Considerations
  - Emergency Response Team Organization
  - Active Shooter Response Procedures
    - Strategies for Educating the Church Community
  - Precautionary Lockdowns
  - Medical Emergencies
  - Severe Weather Emergencies
  - Hazardous Materials Events
  - Reunification Planning

Since the 1993, the S2 Institute has trained over 5,000 church officials, school leaders, and security professionals in active shooter preparation topics through public courses and private workshops.

The Church Security Planning Workshop is one of several church security courses offered by the S2 Institute. The program was originally developed at the behest of Florida area houses of worship in the aftermath of several significant attacks against churches and synagogues.

In addition to our services as instructors, S2 Institute subject experts provide consulting assistance to houses of worship and faith-based organizations for improving school security and emergency readiness. Some examples of our consulting clients include The Diocese of St. Petersburg, Calvary Church, Metropolitan Ministries, Tampa Jewish Federation, Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, Lutheran Church of the Cross, and more.

The lead instructor for this course, Craig Gundry, is also frequent speaker on topics related to active shooter violence for organizations such as ASIS International, Southern Association of Independent Schools, AAGO, FFCMA, and more. As a consultant in managing risks of mass homicide, his clients also include a diverse range of corporations and government organizations such as the U.S. Capital Police, U.S. Department of Justice, European Central Bank, European Commission, European External Action Service, and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.