Knowledge is Power.

​During my time with the Norfolk Police Department, I worked in a unit called Crime Analysis. Supervisors Benny Rogerson, Bruce Hierstein and Les Barnard put together a book that showed algorithms that with the right crime data could almost predict the next crime. It was all new stuff back in the 1980s and since then there have been hundreds of books written on being proactive in crime prevention through crime analysis. When you watch today’s crime shows, crime analysis is always used as a part of the process to catch the bad guy. They make it look fancy and easy when actuality it is challenging work from the officers and analysist who serve in departments today. Today’s computers make the work a little easier, but they all started with innovators like Benny, Bruce, and Les.
 
Church safety consultants scour the internet looking for crimes against houses of worship and then put valuable information in weekly emails, podcasts, or blogs to inform you of incidents involving churches. This is a form of Crime Analysis for the church safety world. If you are on such an email list, do you read these emails and start to watch for those types of trends in your area? If there is a rash of vehicle burglaries in your church area, could your church parking lot during Christmas services with cars loaded with Christmas presents be their next target? If there is a rash of vandalism in your area, look at the recordings on your cameras to see if someone might be surveilling your property. Pictures of a suspicious person captured on your system may help police in the arrest of others committing vandalism in your area.
 
Looking at my Google Alerts today I came across a news article, “Man found with bombs in White Settlement planned to attack church.”  Reading the article, the suspect not only had bombs but two AR style weapons, a handgun, and a lot of ammunition. While reading the article I remembered that the West Freeway Church of Christ shooting was also in White Settlement. Taking the address of the arrest and looking up the church’s address, I found the suspect was arrested less than two miles from the church.
 
This really does not mean much. There are churches all around the area of the arrest but looking at this from my crime analysist point of view, I saw some parallels. The West Freeway Church of Christ shooting happened in December of 2019, five years ago. Researchers have found a lot of mass shooters plan to do something near or on anniversaries of other shootings. Could this suspect be a past friend or associate of the shooter at the West Freeway Church of Christ shooting? If they had a look at his computer, would you find the West Freeway Church of Christ shooting in his search history? Little things like this cross our minds and cause us to ask these questions. You see, we start to look at things differently after working with some of the best minds in Crime Analysis.
 
If you do not get a weekly crime against churches newsletter, look at getting on someone’s email list. Simon Osamoh with Worship Security Academy, or James Maute with Church Safety & Security or our own Jessica Howard at Trinity Security Allies. The information provided by these church safety experts could save someone’s life and give you an insight into what is happening to churches around the country to share with your safety team and the leadership of the church.
 
Church safety is not an option anymore. If you do not have a safety team, go to your leadership of the church, and ask them this simple question, “Do you want everyone in your church safe?” It seems a little rhetorical but if they do not immediately respond yes, maybe this is not the church for you and your family.

Interested in hosting a sponsored safety training event? Click here