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Member
posted May 25, 2025 01:57 PMHide Post
quote:
Originally posted by abnmacv:
Yesterday security guard at a local Jewish school shot a guy to death. Ongoing investigation in progress.


https://katu.com/news/local/on...investigation-oregon
 
Posts: 16276 | Location: Eastern Iowa | Registered: May 21, 2000Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted May 25, 2025 02:15 PMHide Post
I am not a church goer (agnostic) but all my Christian Saturday golf friends don't worry about any awful event at church (we don't worry much on the course either). Can't say for certain but it would seem like they are prepared for worst case.
 
Posts: 8006 | Registered: October 31, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of dsiets
posted May 25, 2025 02:16 PMHide Post
quote:
Originally posted by RogueJSK:
The few smaller churches I'm familiar with may not have uniformed LE, but they have armed security teams, including off duty cops who are church members.

^^^
 
Posts: 7849 | Location: MI | Registered: May 22, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Savor the limelight
posted May 25, 2025 02:22 PMHide Post
quote:
but nobody considers that 99.9% of the problems are going to need talking skills

We had two suspicious incidents a few months ago. While discussing them the question was asked, "What should we say?" to which I suggested "Hello".

We got the one guy on our security cameras helping himself to the food donations we were collecting for the local food pantry. Most of us figured that saved us time and effort.
 
Posts: 12938 | Location: SWFL | Registered: October 10, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Prepared for the Worst, Providing the Best
Picture of 92fstech
posted May 25, 2025 03:24 PMHide Post
quote:
Originally posted by trapper189:
quote:
but nobody considers that 99.9% of the problems are going to need talking skills

We had two suspicious incidents a few months ago. While discussing them the question was asked, "What should we say?" to which I suggested "Hello".

We got the one guy on our security cameras helping himself to the food donations we were collecting for the local food pantry. Most of us figured that saved us time and effort.


Yep. We've had a few local junkies show up from time to time looking for a handout (naturally, folks I know in a professional capacity as well, lol). My pastor has a policy that they have to sit through the sermon to get some spiritual "food" before we'll give them anything else, so I just keep an eye on them and make sure they don't wander the halls by the kid's classrooms during the service, and then we hook them up with some food from the pantry or a tank of gas before they leave. We're happy to have anybody who's not got violent intent or trying to disrupt the service.
 
Posts: 10600 | Location: In the Cornfields | Registered: May 25, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted May 25, 2025 03:55 PMHide Post
I don't think a church with a security team is a church full of itchy trigger fingers. I agree with trapper and fstech; I think everyone does. I have always considered the team at the church I attend to be the first line of defense against a perpetrator of a "mass casualty" attack. Not guys who are eager to pull their heater on a run-of-the-mill upset person or vagabond.
 
Posts: 2922 | Location: Northeast GA | Registered: February 15, 2021Reply With QuoteReport This Post
delicately calloused
Picture of darthfuster
posted May 25, 2025 03:57 PMHide Post
quote:
Originally posted by chellim1:
quote:
Originally posted by darthfuster:
Not mine, but I am prepared.

Same here, darth. There are a few of us who keep it quiet.
I casually scan the congregation with my eyes from time to time during mass.

Excellent. I know I’m not the only prepared congregant



You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier
 
Posts: 30443 | Location: Norris Lake, TN | Registered: May 07, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
The Ice Cream Man
posted May 25, 2025 04:23 PMHide Post
I guess what I found odd was the police inside the church.

I attended a different church, years ago, which had police in the parking lot to prevent break ins.

Pluses and minuses to police inside the church. I am not worried about a small Southern town’s PD causing issues, but if it was Austin or Miami PD, I might feel differently. (Upon reflection, we definitely could not have let Miami PD inside our church, unless we vetted the police.)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Aglifter, May 25, 2025 06:11 PM
 
Posts: 6387 | Location: Republic of Ice Cream, Low Country, SC. | Registered: May 24, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Raised Hands Surround Us
Three Nails To Protect Us
Picture of Black92LX
posted May 25, 2025 04:55 PMHide Post
Yes and no here. Bigger churches that can afford to pay officers off duty do for security and traffic control.
My Parish does not however we have quite a few active LEO that attend.
School mass is attended by the Sheriff’s Deputy that is assigned to the school full time.
There were rumblings about starting an armed security group for Mass at our parish. I was consulted at the beginning phases and asked/addressed a lot of those what if questions. I did not really expect it to fly at the Diocese level as our Bishop is frustratingly ULTRA liberal.
I have heard nothing more of it since that initial spitball session a couple years ago.

We go to Myrtle Beach every year for a few weeks and we attend Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church.
I have not seen any marked Law Enforcement there.


————————————————
The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad.
If we got each other, and that's all we have.
I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand.
You should know I'll be there for you!
 
Posts: 26259 | Registered: September 06, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted May 25, 2025 05:39 PMHide Post
quote:
Originally posted by darthfuster:
Excellent. I know I’m not the only prepared congregant


What my bishop doesn't know won't hurt him. Big Grin

Now I don't expect to be the next coming of John Wick should the SHTF, but I'd like to think I'm willing to respond to stop, dissuade or scare off anyone meaning to do harm.


P229
 
Posts: 4025 | Location: Sacramento, CA | Registered: November 21, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Prepared for the Worst, Providing the Best
Picture of 92fstech
posted May 25, 2025 07:36 PMHide Post
quote:
Originally posted by KSGM:
I don't think a church with a security team is a church full of itchy trigger fingers. I agree with trapper and fstech; I think everyone does. I have always considered the team at the church I attend to be the first line of defense against a perpetrator of a "mass casualty" attack. Not guys who are eager to pull their heater on a run-of-the-mill upset person or vagabond.


A couple of years ago I had an "opportunity" to work a security detail for a Christian concert on the college campus in town. When I showed up that night I was informed by the event director that he also had an armed security team from one of our larger local churches on site, and they were going to be handling the actual security function and would defer to me if they needed LE intervention. Needless to say I was less than thrilled to have that little gem dumped on me at the last minute.

Keep in mind, this is on a college campus where I went to school, worked for 9 years as an employee after graduation, and have worked in the town for 15 years as a cop. I know the environment and I know the people. This guy's church was from a neighboring town and I didn't know any of the security guys that he brought in. He also never cleared that with the college, so I had to make a bunch of phone calls to get that figured out right as the event was starting.

Right off the bat the lead security guy briefed me on their evacuation and medical plan, and told me there was no AED in the building. I told him I had one in my car, and also pointed to the one on the wall directly behind him. Then about 30 minutes in he called me about a car with out of state plates in the parking lot that looked like some homelss person had been living in it. I checked on it and recognized it to belong to somebody I knew who worked at the college (to be fair, it was filthy).

A little later one of them freaked out over the radio about a "suspicious male wondering the building" and had the security team converging on him from all over the place. Thankfully I was the next closest and as soon as I got there I saw it was the youth pastor from the biggest church in town who had obviously stepped out of the very loud arena to make a phone call Roll Eyes.

Ultimately, I spent most of the event babysitting the security team to make sure they didn't needlessly harass any of the attendees, and they caused me a lot more stress than anyone else at the event. Nobody came close to pulling a gun, thankfully, but they were certainly some nervous dudes!
 
Posts: 10600 | Location: In the Cornfields | Registered: May 25, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Savor the limelight
posted May 25, 2025 08:31 PMHide Post
^^^Big Grin

Not our security team guys, but the elders were discussing the two suspicious people. One of the comments was the one guy had mismatched socks.
 
Posts: 12938 | Location: SWFL | Registered: October 10, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Oriental Redneck
Picture of 12131
posted May 25, 2025 09:01 PMHide Post
I don’t go to church, so I don’t know who has what, but I don’t see why it’s odd to have police presence there, inside or out, especially considering the rise in random mass shootings.

I’m sure everyone here remembers, a couple of years ago, when some dirtbag with a shotgun inside a Texas church started shooting, killing one of the staffers who was trying to draw. A uniformed guard (actual sheriff’s deputy) who was a few feet back, drew his service weapon and took out the scumbag. No doubt many lives were saved that day.

Wow, I went back and looked, the incident happened over 5 years ago. Time sure flies.


Q






 
Posts: 29517 | Location: TEXAS | Registered: September 04, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Not really from Vienna
Picture of arfmel
posted May 25, 2025 09:12 PMHide Post
We have a Game Warden, a Sheriff’s Deputy and a Texas Ranger in the congregation. The Pastor carries and I’m sure many of the congregants do as well. Many of the members are from remote ranches where they are their own security.
 
Posts: 27510 | Location: SW of Hovey, Texas | Registered: January 30, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Prepared for the Worst, Providing the Best
Picture of 92fstech
posted May 25, 2025 09:56 PMHide Post
quote:
Originally posted by trapper189:
^^^Big Grin

Not our security team guys, but the elders were discussing the two suspicious people. One of the comments was the one guy had mismatched socks.


Highly suspicious right there, lol.

IMO a security team isn't a bad idea, but the focus needs to be on a lot more than just the firearms element. And if they are going to be armed, the qualification standard needs to be high. I've helped my buddy out with the firearms related stuff for his church's team, and he's very discerning about who he picks and he makes them meet the Federal Air Marshall qualification standard.

His guys also have pretty good heads on their shoulders, and I have actually responded to an incident at their church while I was on duty when a guy showed up who had previously made threats against people at the church and was know to be mentally unstable and often armed. They got him outside, kept him calm, and talked to him until we got there. They were prepared, but nobody pulled a gun. I was pretty impressed with their response.
 
Posts: 10600 | Location: In the Cornfields | Registered: May 25, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted May 26, 2025 01:31 PMHide Post
I am the security in our church, most members know it, but I don't advertise it. Have had no problems so far, other than talking to a few who were not acting like they were in church.
 
Posts: 544 | Location: Kansas | Registered: August 28, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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