situational awareness – SemperVerus

A List of Active Killer Incidents at Houses of Worship and Religious Schools

Photo credit: David von Diemar, https://unsplash.com/@davidvondiemar Some people in leadership at churches still question why it’s necessary to have an armed and trained church security/safety team as part of their dedicated ministry efforts. The following list should be reason enough:

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

• Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Washington, DC, Oct. 5, 2025
A 41-year-old New Jersey man was arrested and charged with unlawful entry, threats to kidnap or injure a person, and possession of a Molotov cocktail outside this Catholic church ahead of the high-profile annual Red Mass meant to mark the start of the Supreme Court term. No justice attended this year’s event.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The Swiss Guard: Early Church Security Team ]

• Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, Manchester, UK, Oct. 1, 2025 (Yom Kippur)
A man, wearing a vest that looked like an “explosive device,” used his car and knife in an attack outside a synagogue on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, killing two people and injuring four others. The attacker was prevented from entering the synagogue by worshippers, security staff, and police.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Criminals and Terrorists Overwhelmingly Select Gun-Free Zones For Mass Attacks in Public Spaces ]

• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, Sept. 28, 2025
A 40-year-old man (US Marine Corps veteran) rammed his truck into the meetinghouse and began shooting. He then set the building ablaze before he was killed in a shootout with police. Four people died and eight others were injured. The congregation did not have a dedicated security team. (Also see Wikipedia’s List of Attacks Against Latter-Day Saint Churches.)

By semperverus
Posted on 10/02/202510/07/2025

Counterterrorism Guide: Situational Awareness to Hinder An Attack

The Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team (JCAT) is a US interagency collaboration based at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), which is aligned under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

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Working with intelligence analysts from NCTC, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), JCAT’s primary mission is to improve counterterrorism information sharing between federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government agencies and the private sector. The latter is where that information is adaptable for personal self-defense and church security teams in being situationally aware to pre-indicators of criminal and terroristic attacks.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ]

One resource is JCAT’s Counterterrorism Guide For Public Safety Personnel, offering content to assist self-defenders and church safety volunteers in:

Enroll in the Sheepdog Church Security Academy Safety Member Certification Program

Church security teams usually consist of every-day volunteers: men and women who are passionate about doing all they can to protect their congregation from natural and man-made threats, but who are not professionally trained in law enforcement, military defense, or medical emergency skills.

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

SemperVerus highly recommends the Sheepdog Church Security Academy Safety Member Certification program as an excellent online training curriculum that prepares volunteers to handle the full spectrum of threats churches face today—emergency response, disruptive persons, violent intruders, and abuse. Students gain practical skills rooted in legal clarity, real-world tactics, and biblical values.

Church Greeters and Ushers: Eyes and Ears for Security

Church greeters and ushers are hospitality volunteers—whether standing outside of entrance doors or inside by tabletops, kiosks, and auditorium doors or walking people down worship service aisles—who provide a warm first impression for visitors and members, acting as welcoming ambassadors for the church by offering a smile, a sincere greeting, and assistance. Their roles include directing guests, answering questions about ministries or services, providing directions to restrooms and classrooms, and ensuring everyone feels comfortable and connected to the church community. Effective greeters are friendly, informed about the church’s activities, and can quickly assess visitors’ needs to make them feel valued and at ease.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Interview With Lori Morrison, Private Investigator ]

Retired licensed private investigator and member of her church’s safety team, Lori Morrison, says greeters should also act as eyes and ears for overall security during church events. In her Worship Facility article, “Training Our First Line of Defense: 4 Critical Issues for Church Greeters and Parking Attendants,” she writes, “With proper training, our greeters and parking attendants can become watchful sentinels who protect while they welcome.”