I – Prepare

A Prayer for Church Security Team Members

Being a volunteer member of your church security team is a demanding responsibility. You invest considerable time, effort, and expense training and learning as much as you can to be able to properly respond to any emergency that may occur during a gathering of your church.

[ See the SemperVerus list of links to Church Security Training Resources ]

One excellent training opportunity is Sheepdog Church Security, which offers a certification program that covers Security Team Fundamentals, Active Shooter Response, Deescalating Disruptive Persons, Protecting Children from Abuse, Use of Force Laws, Arson and Fire Safety, Storms and Disasters, and Mass Trauma Emergency.

[ Read articles in the SemperVerus category of Church Security ]

Since attention to church safety and security encompasses so many physical—as well as spiritual—dangers and threats, here’s a prayer by SemperVerus® you may want to say every time you start your security team volunteer shift:

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SemperVerus Named In Top 50 of Feedspot’s List of Tactical Blogs

See Feedspot's top 60 Tactical BlogsUsing search and social metrics on Google and media platforms, Feedspot has declared SemperVerus number 37 among the top 60 Tactical Blogs on the internet.

According to Feedspot, the judging criteria include a blog’s

  • Relevancy
  • Freshness (frequency of posting)
  • Domain authority
  • Google reputation and Google search ranking
  • Influence and popularity on social media sites
  • Quality and consistency of posts and
  • The assessment of Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review.

Feedspot’s review of SemperVerus is: “An impressive blog with high quality and useful content.”

SemperVerus (meaning Stay True) is your catalyst to inform, inspire, persuade, impel, and invigorate; sparking you to positive action through 5 main strategic principles—prepare, aware, be, know, do—and 1 tactical element (self-defense). Bookmark this SemperVerus blog homepage and return often to read the latest helpful articles. And enter your email address into the box on this page to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Invite SemperVerus® to present its 5 life-changing success-generating components—prepare, aware, be, know, do—to your organization to inspire and motivate your members.

Join the SemperVerus Brotherhood™!

Church Security: Radio Communications Best Practices

Read this article to learn best practices in radio communications for church security teamsWhen multiple people act as a security team for an activity or event, such as a church service, staying informed with each other is a vital part of the defense plan. Employing two-way radios with ear pieces and push-to-talk (PTT) microphones is a subtle, non-intrusive method to accomplish the goal. The Golden Rules of radio operation are

  • Clarity — speak slightly slower than normal and avoid shouting
  • Simplicity — use simplified language and shortcut phrases
  • Brevity — messages should be short and concise
  • Security — assume more people are listening than only the one to whom you’re speaking.

For effective radio communication, the following specific procedures should be followed. Identify first, by name, the recipient, then second, your name. Once they acknowledge your transmission, proceed with your conversation until it’s complete. Here’s an example:

Portable 5: “Base 23, this is Portable 5. Over”
Base 23: “Portable 5, this is Base 23. Over.”

Portable 5: “Base 23, I have returned from job 734. Are there any messages? Over.”
Base 23: “Portable 5, you have 3 messages. Over.”

Portable 5: “Base 23, I will select them at 1600. Over.”
Base 23: “Roger, Portable 5. This is Base 23. Out”

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Protect Yourself from a Carjacking

Your wallet isn’t the only item criminals want to steal. Your car appeals to them too. Be prepared.

  • Read news articles about carjackings and mentally imagine what you would do in each situation
  • More than one person or a group generally commit these violent carjacking thefts.
  • Know your route. Avoid driving in unfamiliar neighborhoods.
  • Keep alert while your vehicle is moving and while it is idling
  • Carjacking most often occurs in transitional spaces such as parking lots and gas stations.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense Tactical Driving Tips ]

  • Fuel your vehicle only during the day at gas stations in well traveled areas. Scan the gas station for suspicious behavior or loitering before you select a pump. While fueling, keep your car locked and keep scanning your surroundings to be prepared to take action (e.g., use the gas nozzle as a jet stream) should a vehicle or person approach you in a threatening manner.

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