Protecting the Flock: Safety and Security for Communities of Faith

This course provides a layered security approach to protecting congregants. Houses of worship present a target to those planning violence against certain ideologies and communities and we have a duty to prepare to respond to these dangers. Our seasoned presenters will share with you the importance of developing a safety and security plan that includes both an assessment of physical security measures (cameras, fences, bollards, doors, refuge points) and behavioral threat assessment concepts (risk factors for targeted violence, behavioral indicators of potential violence,).

The training is useful for greeters, ushers, leadership team members, volunteers, members of your safety and security team, and any community members with past medical, law enforcement or psychological training. Drawing from core concepts in law enforcement, psychology,, and threat assessment, this training offers a wide range of content useful for new and seasoned teams alike. From crisis de-escalation skills to developing policy and procedures to responding in the event of an active threat, this program will offer clear, well-researched and practical advice proven to reduce the risk of violence and save lives.

This one-day course spends the two morning sessions introducing and reviewing key concepts related to emergency preparedness planning and the importance of adopting a prevention, intervention, and post-vention approach. Core concepts in physical security, as well as behavioral assessment of threat indicators, will be discussed. In the afternoon sessions, our team will share three programs developed by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency offered in a “train-the-trainer” capacity, leaving the group with the ability to teach core concepts related to the Power of Hello, Crisis De-escalation, and Behavioral Threat Indicators. The course will end with a review of key response training for an active shooter.

More details on our Preparedness Page.