Safety and Security Resources for Houses of Worship

Check below for articles, books, and other material that can help you develop and produce safety and security programs for your facility and group.

The page is regularly being updated, please check back soon for more links and support material.

See photos and content from our 2019 Symposium below!

Below are a number of articles, some prepared by ASIS International, that can help develop a better security program.

  1. Soft Target, Active Shooter, & School Security Resources
  2. Active Shooter:  White Paper, 2016 School Safety and Security Council 
  3. Deterring and Mitigating Attack: Selection from Soft Target Hardening: Protecting People from Attack. Author: Jennifer Hesterman, Ph.D
  4. Active Shooter and Workplace Violence Exercise: Appendix D, Active Shooter. Author: Kevin Doss, CPP, PSP​​
  5. Houses of Worship, Security Risk Analysis Process
  6. Houses of Worship Vulnerability Mitigation Scenarios
  7. Hostile Surveillance Detection White Paper
  8. Crime Prevention-Houses of Worship
  9. ASIS article regarding the Pittsburgh Synagogue incident
  10. Security of Soft Targets and Crowded Places Resource Guide
  11. Active Shooter Attacks Security Awareness for Soft Targets and Crowded Places By Homeland Security

The following books may also be helpful reading.
Note that we have not reviewed all of the material presented, so you will need to discern if it is appropriate for your needs. Some of the books may be available in both paper or electronic versions.

  1. Church Operations Security (OPSEC) by William E Spruce
  2. Praying Safe: The professional approach to protecting faith communities by Grant Cunningham, Joshua Gideon 
  3. The Church Security Handbook: A Practical Guide for Protecting Your Congregation in Uncertain Times by Vaughn Baker
  4. Church Security: 360 Degrees by Robert M Patterson and Dr R Patterson
  5. Church Safety and Security: A Practical Guide by Robert M. Cirtin, John M. Edie, Dennis K. Lewis
  6. Defending the Flock: A Security Guide for Church Safety Directors by Mr. Kris P Moloney, Malene Little
  7. What They Don’t Tell You About Church Safety by Bryan Donihue 
  8. Active Shooter Mitigation: A Training Guide for Houses of Worship by Kris P. Moloney
  9. Securing the Sacred: Making Your House of Worship a Safer Place by Andrew P. Surace, Eric Konohia
  10. On Guard; Preventing and responding to child abuse at church, by Deepak Reju
  11. Evil Invades Sanctuary; the Case for Security in Faith-Based Organizations by Carl Chin
  12. Keeping your Church Safe by Ron Aguiar
  13. The Ministry of Defense; Executive Protection for the Ministry by Pablo Birriel
  14. Wolves Among the Sheep; Protecting Your Church from Violence by T. Craig Isaacs, PhD
  15. The Missing Ministry; Safety, Risk Management, and Protecting Your Church, by The GuideOne Center for Risk Management
  16. Crime Prevention for Houses of Worship, by Quarles and Ratliff
  17. Church Security; Providing a Safe Worship Environment, by Robertson

Views from the 2019 Security for Houses of Worship Symposium

Presentations (click on image for larger view)

Attendees and Activities (click on image for larger view)

Vendors and Sponsors (click on image to visit their website)

Additional Photos Link

Presenters from the 2019 Symposium

  • Roger Parrino, Commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES)
    • Mr. Parrino has over 35 years of public service. He served in the New York Police Department for over 21 years, where he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander of Detectives and was a member of the Hostage Negotiation Team. Mr. Parrino most recently served as Senior Counselor to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, where he provided operational crisis management to all levels of leadership. Mr. Parrino is a recipient the NYPD Medal of Valor for actions taken on Sept 11, 2001 and the DHS Distinguished Public Service Medal.
Roger Parrino
  • Special Agent Bryan Paarmann, FBI Counter-terrorism Division
    • Bryan Paarmann is responsible for daily operations, oversight, and administration of the Counter-terrorism Division of the New York Office of the FBI. Additionally, he is responsible for the Joint Terrorism Task Force consisting of 53 different Federal, State and Local entities as well as all FBI counter-terrorism investigations in the New York area of operations. He will present on the terrorist threat to religious organizations, touching on the global landscape, trends and tactics being used by terrorist organizations.
Bryan Paarman
  • Orange County Sheriff’s Office – Special Operations Group
    • Assistant Under Sheriff Anthony Weed along with representatives from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Operation Archangel, will address today’s challenges in securing and protecting houses of worship.
    • Topics include:
      – Site Security
      – Establishing a Safety Team
      – Steps Needed to Harden Facilities