How Safe are We? Officials Evaluate Security at Adventist Organizations

In the Wake of Tragedy, Proactivity Must Prevail

This week’s tragedy where a 21-year-old man massacred nine members of a Bible study group at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., has sent waves of sadness and grief across the nation and within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. “It’s unfortunate this happened; evil is so rampant,” said Dave Weigley, president of the Columbia Union Conference. “We pray for the healing of the people of that church and community. This tragedy illustrates that we’re all vulnerable.”

Indeed, in the wake of yet another shooting – this one in a church -- many people, Adventists included, are asking if we are safe. In the July 2013 Visitor, we addressed this question, shared tips and resources and learned that asking the question isn’t enough; proactivity must prevail. Here’s a look back at that article.---Celeste Ryan Blyden

How Safe are We? Officials Evaluate Security at Adventist Organizations

Alexis A. Goring

In the wake of the December 14, 2012, “Newtown Massacre” that left 26 students and teachers at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School dead, government officials fielded what has become an all-too-common question these days: Are our schools safe?

They weren’t the only ones. Seventh-day Adventist Church members began asking the same question about our schools, churches, conference offices, hospitals and other ministries. Could it happen to us? What should we do to prevent such a tragedy? The Visitor reached out to security heads at a few Adventist organizations to find out.

Are We Safe?

Ten years ago, Erwin Mack, a member of Potomac Conference’s Sligo church in Takoma Park, Md., started convening monthly meetings that he called the Adventist Community Action Council (ACAC). With support from the Columbia Union Conference, he invited officials from the community, county and state to breakfast meetings with the leaders of a dozen or so Adventist entities in and around their city of 17,000 residents. Over fruit and muffins in the boardroom at Washington Adventist Hospital (WAH), they got acquainted, discussed community issues, coordinated opportunities for service and talked about the church’s past, present and potential impact. After a meeting last fall, where safety and security questions arose, Mack scheduled city and county police to meet with the group on December 14, 2012.

“At 8:30 a.m., I started the meeting with the Chief of Police of Takoma Park; District Commanders in Prince George’s County, Maryland; and District Commanders in Silver Spring, Md. Walter Hawkins, director of security for WAH, joined us that day as well. The plan was just an ordinary thing, to say we’ve had several personnel changes in our Adventist institutions as well as in the police department of the three districts that surround us, and [I thought] it would be a good thing to get together to discuss if a problem arises, who do you contact and how do you handle it?” he recalls. “We had no clue that at that very moment, Newtown was happening.”

Mack took the Newtown tragedy as a call to action and set out to make sure the Adventist organizations in his hometown and all the people inside were secure and prepared in the case of a life-threatening event. He also asked Hawkins to develop a strategy and assess ACAC-member organizations for safety.

“He and a group of local security directors adapted a checklist from Adventist Risk Management that we’ve asked each principal to comply with, and then they go out to the schools (and soon churches) and, literally and physically, inspect them for areas where there could be a weak spot in door safety, window safety, guest passes,” said Mack. “I can’t say enough about the work they’ve done to secure maximum safety.”

When asked how effective these measures have been in preventing breaches of security so far, Mack said, “We really hope never to have to answer that question. Our responsibility is to be as safe as we’re able because, first of all, we’re truly concerned about safety, and second of all, we have a legal responsibility.”

Security leaders at the Columbia Union’s 13 hospitals are equally concerned about the safety of patients, physicians, employees and visitors. Hawkins and his team are responsible for security at WAH, a 252-bed acute care facility, which sits on 13 acres and shares a campus with WAU and Sligo church. “We have protocols in place to effectively manage security situations that could arise,” he shared. “Washington Adventist Hospital and other facilities within the Adventist HealthCare system also participate in county- and region-wide disaster drills each year, as well as additional smaller-scale drills to practice and refine our plans. In any emergency situation, we work very closely with police to quickly take the appropriate measures.”

Could it Happen to Us?

The 2,971 members of Sligo church, where Mack is head elder, meet in a massive, stoned wall building that some liken to a stadium. Securing such a large organization and audience is not simple. For that reason, Don McFarlane, administrative pastor, says church leaders opted to have “a number of police officers” on duty during worship hours. “It not only provides security, but it provides a sense of security for our members. When they look back and notice a policeman is there, I think they’re feeling more at peace with themselves and the church,” he proffered. “... I think we should pull out all the stops so people feel comfortable and secure.”

At some churches, Sligo included, the deacons guard the doors during offering and prayer time. McFarlane, however, is not sure this provision is enough. “Deacons keep an eye on the flow of people around the building, escort people to where they want to go, provide information and offer help,” he said. “Security relates more to safety.”

About 20 minutes north in Silver Spring, Md., lies the Adventist World Headquarters, a 300,000-square-foot facility that houses 800 employees and a sizable security force. They have a lot of ground to cover and a lot of people to protect, but James Vines, director of security, believes they can meet any challenge. “In light of all the events that have occurred worldwide, we take every effort to ensure that our employees and visitors are as safe as possible,” he said. To that end, Vines says his security officers complete “intense training” with local police and some are certified by the state and carry weapons.

Not everyone takes the presence of armed officers seriously, and many do not think a security breach could happen because we are under God’s protection. “The idea that nothing can happen in Adventist organizations is concerning,” Vines added. “History has shown that things can happen any place, anytime. … Yes, we are in the church, but I firmly believe that the Lord wants us to responsibly protect ourselves because of the nature of today’s world.”

What Should We do to Prevent Tragedy?

This is one of the questions Dale Hodges considers in his role as president of the Professional Adventists for Safety and Security (PASS), a fledgling association of Adventist security leaders who share a desire to prevent tragedy and take the measures necessary to keep our organizations safe. After retiring from law enforcement, Hodges went to work as director of Campus Safety for Andrews University (Mich.) and sought to connect with his peers at other church institutions through annual meetings, an email listserve and creating an association. The 2-year-old PASS (adventistsecurity.gcnetadventist.org) now includes security personnel at a number of schools and organizations, as well as the Review and Herald Publishing Association in Hagerstown, Md., the Adventist World Headquarters; and WAU.

Their goal, he says, is to raise their level of professionalism, standardize security services among Adventist organizations, mitigate the safety issues that exist and help increase the safety of our populations.

7 Steps to Safety

• Self-inspect your property to identify vulnerable points of access.
• Make sure your property has good perimeter security lighting at night.
• Install fencing at school yards, playgrounds and parking lot areas to clearly define your perimeters and keep children from venturing off your property.
• Have visitors enter through a secure door and check in at the office.
• Have deacons patrol the church to identify strangers or suspicious objects.
• Develop an emergency response plan.
• Practice safety emergency drills once a year on Sabbath.

---Arthur Blinci, Adventist Risk Management

 

Get More: To find tips, videos and resources, visit adventistrisk.org and click on Prevention.