MITIGATING ATTACKS ON HOUSES OF WORSHIP: Security Guide - U.S. Department of Homeland Security

MITIGATING ATTACKS ON HOUSES OF WORSHIP: Security Guide - U.S. Department of Homeland Security

* Printed in Color for Clarity and Ease of Viewing * If you are a member of a Security Team or a Pastor, Faith Leader of a Church, Synagogue, or other religious group, this is an excellent book to help you assess and provide direction on how to approach your security review of your church. The truth is that evil is seeking to destroy our churches and it is only prudent to address these issues in our churches. There are many legal issues to resolve such as what a church can do, if they can legally have team members carry weapons, etc. But it all starts with getting the church leadership and staff on board to address the threats, making a plan, developing a security team, procedures, security cameras, address liability issues, interface with local police and first responders, building teams and training. Overview: Freedom of religion is one of the fundamental liberties enshrined in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Yet recent attacks on worshipers of various faiths illustrate the unique safety challenges that face houses of worship across the country. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily limited our Nation’s ability to come together in person, one day soon the American people will be able to safely gather in their faith communities and should do so without fear of harm. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is committed to partnering with the faith-based community to help mitigate the threat of targeted violence and prepare for potential incidents. Protecting houses of worship while preserving their welcoming and open environment is a priority for the agency. This guide presents new analysis drawn from a series of incidents over the past decade and offers a range of mitigation solutions designed to achieve a robust and layered approach to security. To develop and implement a security program that can be adapted to the needs of individual houses of worship, CISA recommends the following overarching security actions: Identify clear roles and responsibilities for developing and implementing security measures. - Conduct a vulnerability assessment to understand the risks to your house of worship. - Build community readiness and resilience by ensuring your house of worship is aware of potential threats, prepared to respond in the event of an emergency or incident, and connected with the wider community. - Apply physical security measures to monitor and protect the outer, middle, and inner perimeters, while respecting the purpose of each area of the house of worship. - Focus on the safety of children with security measures to protect childcare and daycare facilities and schools. - Implement cybersecurity best practices to safeguard important information and prevent a potential cyberattack. These security options will not deter every threat to a house of worship, but a comprehensive security approach offers the best solution to protect people, property, and data. Houses of worship should tailor this knowledge to the needs of their communities while maintaining the open and welcoming atmosphere that makes houses of worship a critical part of the social fabric of the United States.