Violence In Places of Worship
By Martin Schwartz
This past week we witnessed another individual choose a gun as a solution to an issue,
and as I write this a Kansas City football celebration is the scene of gun violence. We
have come to call these individuals Active Shooters and sadly the term has become
commonplace. Murder, or active murder is a more accurate description of these heinous
acts. Fortunately, managers of the Lakewood Church in Houston Texas had conducted
a threat analysis, knew their vulnerabilities, and took the action they deemed
appropriate to ensure a safe environment.
It is unfortunate that we need to have this discussion, but we know that just like planning
for a fire, understanding our vulnerabilities and knowing our options in these incidents
saves lives. Houses of worship can be especially vulnerable to this violence because of
their welcoming atmosphere. Sometimes people with emotionally charged issues or
mental illness looking for help see churches as a source of that help. However, they can
quickly become a venue for violence when seen as contributory to their issue or an
opportune place to deal with it.
A presidential executive order after the tragedy at Newtown Connecticut required that all
federal law enforcement undergo Active Shooter Response Training. The order also
provided funding to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland
Security to deliver similar training to state and local law enforcement. Minor deviations
aside, every police officer in the United States has received similar training.
Members of the public within schools, houses of worship, and office buildings can
receive training as well which teaches variations of “Run, Hide, Fight.” Upon becoming
aware of an incident like this we want you to “Run,” remove yourself or get away from
the threat. If that is not possible, we want you to “Hide.” An analysis of these incidents
tells us that shooters look for targets of opportunity and usually do not spend time
searching so hiding can be highly effective. Lastly if neither of these options are
effective, we want you to “Fight.” We saw people use all three of these options recently
in Kansas City and although we may learn that was an atypical incident, the actions
saved lives.
If you would like more information refer to the Department of Homeland Security at
https://www.dhs.gov, Federal Emergency Management Agency at
https://community.fema.gov, New Jersey office of Homeland Security and Preparedness
https://www.njohsp.gov, or your local police department.
Martin Schwartz has over 40 years of law enforcement experience and served in the US Air Force
Security Police. He is an Active Shooter Instructor commended for Active Shooter planning,
preparedness, and training. A lifelong Franklin Township resident, he is a periodic contributor to The Sentinel on Law Enforcement and Military topics.