• A church security officer is a private individual — not a law enforcement officer. You do not have arrest powers beyond those of any private citizen. You are not "the police." You are a trained member of the congregation whose role is to observe, deter, de-escalate, and when necessary, respond.
• Your authority comes from the church or organization that has designated you for this role — not from the government.
• Law enforcement officers have qualified immunity and extensive legal protection. You do not. Every action you take as a church security officer carries personal legal risk.
• Your job is to support law enforcement, not replace it. When law enforcement arrives, your job is largely done.

1. De-Escalation First: Always the preferred and primary response. Physical force is a last resort — only when de-escalation has been exhausted or is clearly not viable.
2. Preservation of Life Above All: Protect all human life, including the life of the aggressor. We are peacekeepers, not warriors.
3. Sound Judgment Under Pressure: Clear thinking and emotional self-regulation under stress are as important as any physical skill.
4. Compassion & Community Integration: The people we may confront are often members of our own community. Mental health awareness and compassionate response are essential.
5. Legal Accountability: Every action carries legal consequences. Know the boundaries of lawful action before you ever need to act.

• Personal liability: If you use force improperly, you can be sued personally — and potentially charged criminally. "I was trying to help" is not a legal defense.
• Organizational liability: Your church can also be sued if you acted in your security role and caused harm. This is why training and documentation matter.
• The protection of training: Documented, standardized training is one of the strongest legal defenses available. It demonstrates you acted within accepted practice.
• When in doubt, don't: If you are not certain an action is appropriate, do not take it. Call 911. Step back. De-escalate. The cost of hesitation is far lower than the cost of a wrongful action.

• Baseline behavior is what normal looks like in your specific environment. A worship service has a predictable pattern — people arrive, they socialize, they worship, they depart. Most behavior fits this pattern.
• Anomalies stand out when you know the baseline. Someone who is overdressed for the weather, who enters without making eye contact with anyone, who sits near exits, who repeatedly checks their phone or watches the stage area without worshipping — these are not automatic threats, but they are worth noting.
• Pre-attack indicators (Gavin de Becker's work, expanded):
  • Unusual clothing (concealment of body or items)
  • Target glancing (repeatedly looking at a specific person or area)
  • Grooming behavior (touching face, hair, clothing nervously)
  • Tunnel vision (not responding to normal social cues)
  • Hands: where are they? Hidden hands are a concern
  • Rigid, deliberate movement inconsistent with the environment
  • Emotional agitation not explained by the service context

• Observe: Take in raw data — what you see, hear, smell. No interpretation yet. Just facts.
• Orient: Filter the data through your training, experience, and context. "Is this normal? Does this fit the baseline? What do I know about this person or situation?"
• Decide: Choose a course of action. Monitor? Move closer? Alert team? Call 911? De-escalate?
• Act: Execute the decision. Then immediately start the loop again — Observe what changed as a result of your action.

The goal of training is to accelerate your OODA Loop — experienced officers cycle through it in seconds. Untrained individuals get stuck in Orient (second-guessing themselves) or skip to Act without enough information.

1. Trigger Stage: Something happens that upsets the individual — perceived slight, frustration, fear, or a pre-existing grievance. Behavior: tense body language, short responses, avoidance or staring. Best intervention point — easiest to de-escalate.
2. Escalation Stage: Emotions rise. Voice gets louder, posture becomes aggressive, personal space is invaded. Rational thinking begins to decrease. De-escalation still effective but requires more skill.
3. Crisis Stage: The person has lost rational control. May be yelling, crying, physically aggressive. Tunnel vision. Not hearing your words clearly. Physical safety is the priority — create distance, call for backup.
4. Recovery Stage: After the peak passes, the person begins to calm. Breathing slows, eye contact normalizes, voice softens. Re-engage with compassion — do not lecture or shame.

• L — Listen: Let them speak. Do not interrupt. Nod. Make eye contact. People in crisis need to feel heard before they can calm down.
• E — Empathize: "I can see you're really upset about this. That makes sense." You do not have to agree — you have to acknowledge their emotional state.
• A — Ask: Ask open-ended questions to gather information and keep them talking. "Can you help me understand what happened?" Talking reduces adrenaline.
• P — Paraphrase: Reflect back what they've said. "So what I'm hearing is..." This confirms you listened and slows the emotional escalation.
• S — Summarize & Solve: "Here's what I can do to help..." Offer a face-saving way out. Never back them into a corner.

• Distance: Give space — minimum 6 feet initially. Crowding someone who is agitated increases danger.
• Posture: Slight angle (not squared up — squaring up reads as a challenge). Hands visible and open, at waist level.
• Eye contact: Steady but not staring. Staring is a dominance signal — it escalates.
• Facial expression: Neutral to concerned. Not smiling (can read as dismissive), not frowning (confrontational).
• Movement: Slow and deliberate. No sudden movements.

• The person has or displays a weapon
• The person makes a specific credible threat to harm someone
• The person has already struck someone and continues to advance
• Your own safety or the safety of others is in immediate danger

• Your presence at the door communicates two things simultaneously: "You are welcome here" and "This place is protected."
• A hostile or intimidating door presence drives people away. An inattentive one fails its security purpose. The goal is warm but watchful.
• Entry point best practices: Position yourself with a clear sightline to the approach. Make eye contact and greet everyone who enters. Note anyone who actively avoids eye contact or exhibits pre-attack indicators. Know who has already entered — track unusual individuals mentally.
• Prohibited items: Your church leadership must establish this list. Common items: weapons (if your church is not a carry-permitted environment), bags that cannot be inspected, and alcohol. Post the policy visibly — enforcement is easier when the rule is clearly displayed.

1. Approach calmly and privately — do not create a scene at the entrance in front of the congregation
2. Identify yourself: "I'm with the security team here at [church name]."
3. State the situation clearly and without accusation: "I've been informed that there is a no-contact order/trespass notice in place. I need to ask you to step outside with me."
4. If they comply — escort them outside, thank them for cooperating, call leadership
5. If they refuse — call 911 immediately; do not attempt to physically remove them unless there is imminent danger; keep others away from the area

• Check-in systems: Every church with a children's program should have a formal check-in system matching children to authorized adults. Numbered tags, digital check-in apps (Planning Center, etc.), or a manual log are all acceptable.
• Authorized pickup only: Children must only be released to adults whose names appear on the authorized pickup list. No exceptions. No matter how insistent the adult is.
• Custody disputes: If a non-custodial parent or unauthorized adult demands a child, do not release the child. Call 911. This is a law enforcement matter — do not attempt to resolve it yourself.
• Children's area security: The children's wing should have a single controlled entry point during service hours. Consider a keypad or door monitor.
• Lockdown for children's areas: Designate a lockdown procedure specifically for the children's wing — staff should be trained separately on this protocol.

• RUN: If there is an accessible escape route, evacuate immediately. Leave belongings. Help others escape if possible. Do not let others' hesitation stop you. Call 911 once safe. As a security officer: your role is to direct, encourage, and facilitate evacuation of others — especially those who freeze.
• HIDE: If evacuation is not possible, hide. Lock doors, turn off lights, silence phones, get behind solid objects (cover, not just concealment). Stay out of the shooter's view. Do not open the door for anyone until law enforcement gives the all-clear. As a security officer: help others hide effectively; block doors if no lock is available; maintain quiet.
• FIGHT: Only as an absolute last resort, when death or serious injury is imminent and neither run nor hide is possible. Commit fully. Use improvised weapons — fire extinguisher, chair, anything available. As an unarmed security officer: your physical response options are limited. Your primary value in this phase is coordination, communication, and protecting others while law enforcement responds.

• Lockdown is called when there is an internal threat requiring everyone to shelter in place
• Clear, pre-established code word or announcement system (avoid panic-inducing language over PA)
• Each room locks down independently — designated room security officer closes and locks door, moves people away from windows and doors, accounts for all persons in the room
• All-clear only given by law enforcement or designated leadership — not by another congregant or even another security team member unless protocol specifies

• Call 911 first — before beginning any response. Give address, nature of emergency, number of patients
• Assign one person to meet and guide EMS to the patient's exact location
• Clear bystanders from around the patient — maintain a perimeter
• Know where your AED is located — time-to-defibrillation is the #1 factor in cardiac arrest survival
• Do not move a patient who may have a spinal injury unless they are in immediate danger
• Document: time of incident, time of 911 call, who responded, what treatment was rendered

• Immediately comply with all officer commands — do not argue, do not explain first
• Hands visible — keep them empty and raised or at your sides
• Do not point weapons — if armed, holster before officers arrive if at all possible
• Officers are in a high-stress, unknown environment — they will treat everyone as a potential threat until they establish control
• Once directed to a safe area, provide your name, role, and a brief factual description of what you observed

• Think before transmitting: Know what you want to say before pressing the button
• Identify yourself and recipient: "[Your name] to [recipient's name]" every transmission
• Be brief and clear: No unnecessary words. Speak at a normal pace — not fast
• Use plain language: Avoid codes unless your team has pre-established and trained on them
• Confirm receipt: End with "copy?" and wait for confirmation
• Emergency override: "BREAK BREAK BREAK" clears the channel for emergency traffic
• Radio discipline: No casual conversation on the security channel during service

• Cover the angles: Assign positions to cover all entry points, the stage area, and the rear of the sanctuary. No blind spots.
• Rotate positions: Standing in one spot for 2 hours degrades alertness. Rotate positions every 30–45 minutes.
• Blend in: You are more effective when you are not obviously "security." Dress like the congregation.
• Stay off your phone: Your attention must be on the environment, not a screen.
• Never both look the same direction: If you are paired with another officer, face opposite directions to maximize coverage.

1. Review any known threats or persons of concern from the previous week
2. Confirm assignments and radio channel
3. Identify any special circumstances (visiting speakers, large crowds, holiday service)
4. Confirm AED location and who is medical lead today
5. Confirm chain of command for today — who calls 911, who commands the scene
6. Prayer (if appropriate for your team culture)

• Who: Full description of all involved parties — physical description, name if known, relationship to church
• What: Exactly what happened — actions, words (direct quotes where possible), sequence of events
• Where: Specific location within the facility — not "in the church," but "north entrance hallway, approximately 10 feet from the exterior door"
• When: Exact time if known; approximate if not. Note time of first observation, time of intervention, time of 911 call, time of officer arrival
• Why: Only if directly stated by a party — do not speculate on motive
• How: How the incident developed and how it was resolved

• Opinions, theories, or speculation ("I think he was going to attack someone")
• Legal conclusions ("He was trespassing" — that is for law enforcement/courts to determine)
• Information from others unless clearly attributed ("Deacon Williams told me that...")
• Racial or ethnic descriptors unless directly relevant to identifying a specific individual involved in the incident
• Profanity — paraphrase ("used profane language toward staff")

• Do not disturb a scene where a crime may have occurred — leave it exactly as found for law enforcement
• If you must remove a dangerous item: use gloves if available, minimize handling, note exactly where it was found and photograph it if possible
• Witness information: get names and contact information of all witnesses before they leave. People's memories degrade quickly.
• Video/surveillance: immediately notify church leadership and IT/AV staff to preserve any surveillance footage before it is overwritten

• Incident reports are confidential. Share only with church leadership, your security team lead, and law enforcement when required.
• Do not discuss incident details with other congregants, family members, or on social media
• Do not release reports to the media — direct all media inquiries to the church's designated spokesperson