It was the Saturday Sabbath service at the Tree of Life synagogue in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh this past weekend that reminded us all, especially American Jews like me, that by just saying "Never Again" doesn’t make it so. On this Sabbath morning, an avowed white supremacist charged into the sanctuary toting three Glock .357-caliber handguns and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and began firing into the congregation shouting he was there to "kill Jews."
You are free to draw your own conclusions as to what drove this killer into the Tree of Life synagogue or what lit his fire to act on his hatred. While he pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday in a federal courtroom in Pittsburgh, the murderer’s own words and social media posting are sure to emerge as the most damning evidence of what is considered a premeditated hate crime and terrorist act. Pundits and many in the media point fingers at what they perceive as the current administration’s tactics of fear-based politics or the exploding environment of incivility amongst our own citizenry as possible root causes. Still, others blame tepid gun laws and politicians who offer “thoughts and prayers” in lieu of serious discussions related to common-sense gun legislation as mass shootings continue to grab headlines.
The Impact of Terror on Faith-Based Institutions
The growing intolerance in America and its impact on faith-based institutions can’t be ignored. The two worst incidents of mass shootings against those in a house of worship have occurred within the last two years. This past November a young white gunman dressed in black tactical gear and a ballistic vest exited his vehicle across the street in front of the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and began firing a Ruger AR assault rifle before he entered the church where he slaughtered 26 people and injured another 20. Those killed, ranged in age from 11 months old to 77 years old. While the crime has been determined to be an escalated domestic dispute rather than a hate crime, it still demonstrates the vulnerability of churches, synagogues and mosques. The attack was the deadliest mass shooting in Texas and the fifth-deadliest mass shooting in the United States.
However, the scourge of religious and racial intolerance and the violence it ignites within the faith-based community has left a deadly trail. In June of 2015, another heavily-armed white supremacist murdered nine African-American worshipers at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, including the pastor and a state senator. In August of 1991, six Buddhist monks and three other people at the Wat Promkunaram Buddhist temple in Waddell, Arizona, were killed execution-style in a robbery gone awry.
Granted, the rising tide of religious intolerance, particularly against Jews in this country, simply reflects a growing worldwide trend. Anti-Semitism has been on the rise in countries like Germany, the Netherlands and especially France over the last several decades. In the United States, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released a new study in February 2017 that stated the reported number of anti-Semitic incidents was nearly 60 percent higher in 2017 than 2016, the largest single-year increase on record and the second highest number reported since ADL started tracking incident data in the 1970s.
“A confluence of events in 2017 led to a surge in attacks on our community – from bomb threats, cemetery desecrations, white supremacists marching in Charlottesville, and children harassing children at school,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director in a statement made following the report’s release. “These incidents came at a time when we saw a rising climate of incivility, the emboldening of hate groups and widening divisions in society. In reflecting on this time and understanding it better with this new data, we feel even more committed to our century-old mission to stop the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.”
Finding the Root Cause
So, what do security professionals like Doug Meacham, the current chair for ASIS International’s Houses of Worship Committee, think are the key drivers that motivate parties to attack and carry out mayhem on places of worship or religious organizations? Meacham admits there are no easy answers as to why active shooter events occur.
“There is no one easy solution to solve the problem. Cracking the active shooter code in the United States of America will take leadership from many different expertise including, the security industry, government, academia, medical, and law enforcement – just to name a few -- coming together to determine the root of the problem and taking steps to help our nation,” says Meacham, who preferred not to speculate on the rising level of animus towards Jewish groups, but adds that it is part of a growing threat to faith-based institutions around the globe. “If you are a faith-based organization, you should be aware that you may be a target by someone looking to do your congregants harm. Leadership at houses of worship should take necessary steps to mitigate threats such as active shooter. It all starts with a complete risk assessment by a qualified security professional. He or she may then suggest cost-effective security measures a faith-based organization may consider implementing.”
Daniel Heydenrych, the current Director of Security for the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver in British Columbia says it is a fact that the biggest extremist threats in North America are the various far-right groups, adding that these groups are obviously emboldened by the rhetoric pushed by certain political leaders and see that as tacit consent to carry out hate crimes in their name.
“Across North America, despite the comparatively small size, the Jewish community is the victim of the majority of reported hate crimes. Fear is a control tactic, especially when times are tough. When you set up the ‘other’ as being the cause of all problems, it doesn’t take much prodding to stir people to action against them. The Jewish community has borne the brunt of this many times throughout history. The latest resurgence of white nationalism and anti-Semitism is disheartening but anticipated based on recent trends,” admits Heydenrych. “A strong partnership with local law enforcement is important, they can run training workshops on these issues and help staff understand the law. Additionally, if all staff know how and what to report, it allows the police to build cases and better plan their deployments.”
Finding Security Solutions
Like schools and healthcare facilities, houses of worship are by their nature, open and welcoming environments. Both Meacham and Heydenrych agree that a mixture of trained staff, practiced procedures for security and safety, along with a proper blend of technology can enhance their security posture.
” Everything starts with conducting a complete risk assessment for the house of worship. This risk assessment should be done by a qualified security professional. A risk assessment would determine which risks to a house of worship are most probable while comparing impacts and vulnerabilities. Keeping a bad actor from entering a house of worship can be a factor of all three, staffing, procedural, and/or technology. A qualified security professional will be able to suggest cost-effective mitigation options which may include adjustments to staffing, procedures, and/or the assistance in the form of technology,” instructs Meacham.
Heydenrych adds that many houses of worship who hire off-duty police or fill-in security officers get very little in the way of adequate protection. “Unfortunately, many security officer providers simply fill a spot, with little to no continuity or orientation. They do, however, provide a valuable role with regards to the handling of confrontational people by means of de-escalation, if possible, and appropriate use of force, if necessary. Staffing should, therefore, always be a mix of community volunteers and licensed security officers. The community volunteers know most of their congregation, and with proper deployment, allows pre-screening of attendees to identify unknown or suspicious people before they get to the security checkpoint. As screeners/greeters, they can chat about the event and use the appropriate salutations which will help them weed out potential problems.”
Heydenrych stresses that procedures are useless if they aren’t taught and followed and that all staff, not just those with a security function, should participate in security training and awareness sessions, followed by practice drills to ensure each is aware of their roles and responsibilities. And when it comes to technology, he is a big fan.
“CCTV with analytics, proximity card access devices, motion sensors, etc. there are a lot of options available, and when used properly, and in conjunction with all the above, technology can play a big role in creating a safe environment for the attendees, and an undesirable target for any would-be attacker,” says Heydenrych.
Preparing a Security Assessment and a Common-Sense Plan
Finding proactive safety and security solutions for a house of worship requires the help of security professionals. But it also requires a common-sense approach. For Heydenrych, these are 10 key elements to consider when conducting a security assessment:
- Current and past threats to the community need to be looked at, not just hate crimes, but all criminal activity as there could be a nexus between them.
- Existing procedures and policies need to be reviewed and, if necessary, updated.
- Parking areas. They are often overlooked and need to have adequate lighting and be covered by CCTV.
- Exterior and grounds. These areas need to be considered as they can provide areas to approach unnoticed and break in, it is important to keep sight lines clear and eliminate or minimize places to hide where someone could stage an attack.
- Access points into the building. These should be limited and controlled, be well lit and have appropriately placed high-resolution cameras. Signage saying that CCTV is in use, the building is alarmed may serve as a deterrent.
- Administrative areas should be access controlled and not open to the public without escort or supervision.
- Internal public areas should be covered by CCTV.
- • The frequency of key and access card/fob audits. Often it is easier to just hand out cards and/or master keys to make life easier. This must obviously be avoided, access must only be given to the specific areas needed, and cards/fobs are better than keys as they can be tracked and easily deactivated.
- Consideration should be given to programming alerts whenever certain doors or windows are opened are opened
- The frequency of security and safety training and drills. These must include earthquake, fire, medical, active shooter. Serious consideration should be given to including all congregants in the drills, which can easily be included at the end of services.
For Meacham, the seriousness of a security assessment can’t be overstated. Using a qualified security professional to assist in the process can ensure a comprehensive plan that considers both external and internal threats. He also says houses of worship can reach out to ASIS International to assist in locating a security professional or they can contact local law enforcement or their insurance company for guidance in conducting a risk assessment. A comprehensive risk assessment should include several key steps including the operations of the house of worship, its critical assets, and of course, the potential risks and vulnerabilities.
“A complete assessment should consider the probability of these risks and/or threats as well as what the potential impact should these risks/threats occur. From this point, the house of worship can see which risks/threats they are most vulnerable to which have the highest impact on the house of worship. The qualified security professional can help the house of worship determine cost-effective means of mitigation up to and including establishing a full security team/program. Once a security plan is in place, it is imperative for the house of worship to periodically repeat the risk assessment as well as evaluate mitigation options as to their effectiveness,” Meacham says.
Technology Plays a Key Role
When it comes to technology, Heydenrych prefers high-quality devices and an integrated approach that allows for strict monitoring and accountability.
“Good quality CCTV at all entry points and building perimeter, coupled with spot and area lighting help to eliminate vulnerable areas and deny would be intruders/attackers an easy access or staging area are key. You can get full continuity and 360-degree coverage with the right cameras in the right places, e.g. multi-head cameras on corners, and high-resolution cameras at all access points to get good face shots etc. High risk or vulnerable areas should be covered by an analytic CCTV camera which can and send alerts when they detect movement,” he says, adding that a combination access card reader and pin code devices is an all in one solution that allows staff and regular members to be assigned access devices, while also providing single-use or time-limited codes to one time or infrequent attendees for facility rentals and special events.
“While the ideal is to always have security or at least staff and volunteers at every event, the reality is this is not always practiced. Providing the bare minimum access is the next best alternative. Many organizations will often use multiple access points if there are large events or several events taking place. This puts unnecessary strain on staffing requirements and often results in doors being left propped open,” continues Heydenrych. “Using the least amount of access points ensures better control over who is entering the building. In conjunction with this, all egress doors should be fitted with some sort of alarm, so staff is alerted when they are opened or propped.”
About the Author:
Steve Lasky is the Editorial Director of SecurityInfoWatch.com Security Media Group, which includes print publications Security Technology Executive, Security Dealer & Integrator, Locksmith Ledger Int’l and the world’s most trafficked security web portal SecurityInfoWatch.com. He is a 30-year veteran of the security industry and a 27-year member of ASIS.
