Interview With Cody Blocker, Certified Protection Specialist
SemperVerus interviewed Cody Blocker, Certified Protection Specialist, founding member and past president of the Midwest Church Security Coalition, author of Protecting Your Church: Thoughts on Church Security and Leadership, and founder of Safety Systems Group, self-defense training company.
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Please describe Safety Systems Group.
Safety Systems Group is my consulting and training company that focuses on church security. I teach volunteer church security teams all the “hard skills” like defensive tactics and handguns, but I specialize in training volunteer teams in the “soft skills” of awareness, threat assessment, behavior recognition, and verbal de-escalation.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Gentle Response De-Escalation Training for Church Security Teams ]
Why have you included the topic of church security in the training you provide?
Security falls under the umbrella of stewardship. We need to protect what God has entrusted to us. I started as the director of security for a large church in the Midwest and saw the need. I have a passion for the kingdom, and I don’t like churches being seen as soft targets. I believe each church needs to have a strong stewardship value and protect itself.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Demands a Higher Standard Than Mere Every Day Carry ]
What are the Three Levels of Church Security you describe in your free book, Church Security Playbook?
- Level One — Written Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
- Level Two — Unarmed Security Team
- Level Three — Armed Security Team
All churches should have at least Level 1. But any church can have any combination of all three.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security ]
What are a few of the threats that a church could encounter and should be prepared for?
In my experience the most common threats that have faced my church would be
- Medical
- Domestic Conflict
- Disruptor.
These are the most common. Each church should have a plan to respond to medical events; everything from a heart attack to a slip on the ice. Churches are places for helping people in domestic conflicts so a lot of time that violence or conflict begins outside the church and is brought in.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 5 Lines of Defense in Church Security, Beginning Outside ]
What skills should a church security volunteer seek to perfect?
The main skills are
- Situational Awareness
- Behavior Recognition and
- Verbal De-escalation.
Churches should be the safety places in the community. A good security volunteer needs to have good awareness; awareness of people and the social makeup of their body. Good awareness needs to be able to recognize what is normal for your church and what is abnormal, and then what to do once you spot an abnormality. Good verbal agility and verbal skills are what you need when addressing an abnormality.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Live Life Left of Bang ]
Why do you advocate for an armed security team to be integrated with unarmed security volunteers?
Yes. I know that this option looks different for every church. But every church should be responsible for having some type of armed response, whether that’s armed volunteers, off duty police officers, or a contracted security company.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, A List of Active Killer Incidents at Houses of Worship and Religious Schools ]
What do you recommend is the minimum number of security volunteers during a church service and where should they be positioned?
A minimum number depends on the size of the group you’re protecting. So it’s hard to give an exact number. One man who is well trained and well experienced could adequately protect a public setting of 200 people. But this depends greatly on how they’re equipped. More is always better. A two-man team is always ideal for a minimum since they’re not alone. Four or 8 people protecting 100 people would be even better, but this may not always be realistic. The primary place security should be stationed is at the entry ways so they can monitor everyone entering the protected space.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security: Radio Communications Best Practices ]
What are the Five L’s of Security Implementation?
1. Leadership: (Heb. 13:17) Church leadership needs to approve the policies. You need staff and board leadership backing you up. Who will lead this ministry? Who does the security team report to? What is their written job description? What are the ministry’s mission statement and values to operate by? How does this security ministry fit into the overall mission of your church? This must all be clarified, clearly written down, and approved by church leadership before moving forward.
2. Legal Counsel: (Rom. 13:1-10) The safety and security policies you’re going to implement must be lawfully compliant. Church’s legal counsel needs to be informed of and approve of all policies.
3. Liability/Insurance: (Matt. 25:14-30) Submit your plan to the church’s insurance carrier. Your insurance company must be aware of everything you’re doing, so they’re not surprised when they’re presented with a claim.
4. Law Enforcement: (Prov. 19:20) Get professional advice from law enforcement and security experts. Notify local law enforcement agencies of what you’re doing. Consider hiring off-duty law enforcement to work with.
5. Let’s Go! / Implementation: (Judges 7:5-6) Only after the previous four steps are completed should you begin implementing your plan. I’ve seen many churches make the mistake of starting with putting into effect a security team, and the church’s insurance carrier and legal counsel are unaware of it. Once you’ve completed the first four steps, get to work and get up and running.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Organizing, Training & Running a House of Worship Armed Congregant Security Team ]
How should church security leaders recruit team members?
The best recruiting is done by word of mouth and personal invitation. Character and trust are the most important things, so you shouldn’t recruit anyone you don’t know. Everyone on the team should be known to you or to someone you know. This way, everyone can be easily vetted.
[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ]
What frequency of training do you recommend?
Train enough so your team is equipped enough to successfully do what you’re asking them to do. I like to see some type of training at least on a quarterly frequency.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Training: Decision Decks Help You Think Through a Crisis Before It Happens ]
What’s the difference between training and practice?
Training is when you learn something from a class. This is usually a one-time thing. Practice is when you practice the thing you’ve learned, so you can get multiple repetitions and get better at the skill set. Most people attend a one-time training and think they’ve learned it. But in reality, it has to be practiced and drilled multiple times under different conditions for you to really learn it.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Team Pistol Qualification Course ]
What should be the mindset of a church security volunteer?
Three things: Humility, humility, and humility. You can’t let ego get in the way of service to God. A humble heart of dedicated, joyful service is all God needs. If you’re doing it for the Lord, you’re good to go. If you’re trying to inflate your ego by looking cool or carrying a gun, then you’re in trouble.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]
What is your “Use of Force from a Biblical Perspective” course and how can a person enroll in it?
It’s a short 3-module video course taught by me that explains a legal use of force continuum for force and lethal force and how that relates to biblical values originally given to us by God. I go into biblical stewardship and we explore pacifism myths. You can access the course by clicking this link.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Checklist: Church Security/Safety Equipment ]
How can a person download your free book, Church Security Playbook?
Visit AvoidTheFight.com and, on the homepage, you’ll see a link that says, “Click here for your free book.”
BIO: Cody Blocker CPS is a Certified Protection Specialist and an honor graduate of the esteemed Executive Security International. Cody worked as the security director of a large church in the Midwest for over ten years and currently works as the director of safety for a Christian school. He has worked as an Executive Protection agent in the US and overseas. Cody currently consults with churches and schools in four different states where he specializes in training volunteer security team members. He has trained and consulted with over 100 churches across the country in various security capacities. He can be reached at his website www.avoidthefight.com.
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