As many of you are aware, COMMAND PERFORMANCE FIREARMS AND TRAINING LLC is the premier defensive firearms training company in the Venice, FL area.
Less known is that COMMAND PERFORMANCE SECURITY AND TRAINING LLC is the premier House of Worship security training and consulting company in the Venice, FL area. With as many churches as we have in the area, many still do not have any security, much less armed security. And many that do have a security team have nothing more than a few people with carry permits. Some have nothing but medical assistance available (important but not even close to enough).
This is not preparation — this is negligence.
If you have gotten this far, and you are a church Pastor, Elder, Director, Safety Team Coordinator, or in some other such role of responsibility, you need to realize that, unless you have a professional that consults with you and trains your people, you do not know what you do not know. This goes for former and active law enforcement (which is nothing like house of worship security), current or military veterans (also nothing like house of worship security), people who have been shooting for a long time (not relevant), or carry permit holders (the minimal training to obtain a FL CWFL is not even the beginning of understanding the challenge of house of worship security).
If you are still with me, and you are not sure if violence is the immediate answer to an active shooter event, then you won’t be interested in anything else I have to say. When someone comes into your house of worship intending to kill you, your family, friends, the kids, the entire flock, and anybody who stands in the way, you must have immediately available people with the capacity for extreme violence. If you do not have that, I feel very sorry for you. You are not a fulfilling your responsibility to protect the flock. And it is not only the will to stop them but also the means and proximity. These three reasons are why most active shooter events that progress to police intervention are disasters. 9-1-1 will never be an adequate response to an active shooter.
Now, those still here I will assume want the actual truth, not the “security theater” that is most often exhibited at houses of worship and other venues.
Your house of worship is considered to be a “soft” target. That means that a potential attacker will not expect to find people who have the will, means and proximity to offer serious resistance. Most of the time they are right (even in those places with a security team).
So, talking about the will to return violence… most people are not cut out for such a team, as they cannot muster the will to run towards danger to take out an attacker. Some would do so for their own families. Most would be very hesitant to use deadly force against another human. It is good that a person takes that action with the utmost gravity, as people are made in God’s image, but there are times when that action must be taken — without hesitation. Most of the churches I see refuse to insure their armed teams. They literally make them sign a contract that informs them they are going to be hung out to dry if they ever fulfill their ministry as a sheepdog and shoot somebody. They take their most dedicated volunteers — those willing to take a bullet for them — and turn the insurance dogs on them is there is a shooting. Each armed team member has in the back of their mind that if they need to protect the church, the church insurance will go after their assets with vigor. Despicable, but more the rule than the exception.
A few comments on having the means to repel and attack…
First, there must be armed personnel. They must be armed with duty-capable firearms, probably handguns. Not sub-compacts, and maybe not some compacts, as target distances will in most case require a gun more capable of distant hits. Probably not a revolver. Capacity is too low and reloading too slow, though they could have a limited role in a Sunday School room or other close-range context. In cases where there are truly trained personnel the availability of patrol rifles and shotguns is also helpful. All armed volunteers must be trained by professionals and qualified to an objective standard. AT CPST we typically use the State of Florida Police Qualification, and sometimes train higher to the State of Florida Armed Security Qualification, which is harder. Non-lethal weapons are another discussion, with pros and cons. The sad fact is that most police do not have adequate training on active shooter events, though now, at least in FL by law, departments do have a training program. But these are people that do not train together as your team would, who are not familiar with your facility as you are, have no training is security protocols as you should, and have no understanding of what ministry is and that your Safety/Security Team is one.
Proximity is essential. Here in Sarasota County, the Sheriff Dept. is an average of 13-15 minutes away from a 9-1-1 call. And it takes a minute or more after an attack starts for dispatch to actually receive the call. Nobody has time for this except the active shooter. Ed Monk, the world’s foremost expert on active shooters, writes in First 30 Seconds, that his research indicates that for the dead count to stay under ten, the attack needs to be stopped within the first ten seconds. Not S.W.A.T., who aren’t even in the mix as far as options due to the long time it takes for them to arrive at the scene. Not patrol cops, who even if they had the training and will to do so, would not arrive for 3-4 minutes at the bare minimum in the best case and an hour or more in the worst. Even armed personnel on campus but in another building cannot reach the scene in time to prevent carnage. What is good enough? Armed personnel in the same room possessing the equipment, will, mindset and skills needed to unleash violence on the shooter.
If you are willing to accept that you may not know what you don’t know, let’s talk.
House of Worship security does not need to be expensive. We are available for a free consultation and can help you see where your holes are, or when you need to prioritize our efforts. Small churches and large need armed security. Budgets and capable volunteers may be limited but every team starts small. Call me so we can talk.
Paul DeClark, Chief Instructor
941.504.9525
We will explore other aspects of House of Worship security in upcoming posts.
