Churches and security measures
Jeff Johnson - OneNewsNow - 7/30/2008 10:05:00 AM
Jeff Hawkins is a former Chicago police officer who now serves as security chief for Answers In Genesis and the Creation Museum. He says many churches and ministries have adopted the detrimental "it can't happen here" approach to security.
"They really have to look at it very holistically and look at the overall scope of what can possibly happen inside their churches and then come up with plans, formulate plans and practice the things that they've put in place to deal with things when they happen," he explains.
Hawkins thinks the people most likely to recognize problems before they happen are ushers and other church volunteers. "And they know what looks obvious and what just doesn't fit," he continues, "[a]nd I think they really need to be trained to recognize the potential of something suspicious, or somebody's behavior that's just not acting right and contacting the police immediately, before something happens."
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Hawkins authored a book for churches and ministries who are aware of the need for security or emergency response plans, but have not yet put a plan into place. "This guidebook was developed for someone that has absolutely no knowledge of security and emergency planning," he details. "And it really takes them from the baby steps of assessing their needs and how to build a program addressing a multitude of possible scenarios that they may face," adds Hawkins.
When violence breaks out and police are not there, Hawkins says a well-trained armed security force is the best protection for a church. But he also says criminals and terrorists are very aware that qualified civilians with concealed handgun permits usually cannot legally carry their guns in church. "They know that there probably will be nobody armed in there to confront them when they do start to carry out these acts," he warns. "So, I think these kinds of laws just work against the safety of the congregation in instances like this."
Most states that recognize citizens' Second Amendment right to carry handguns for self-defense also prohibit them from exercising that right in churches, schools, and most other government buildings. Research by the Bureau of Justice Statistics has shown that so-called "gun free zones" have no measurable effect on violent crime.
