Steps in Addressing Security for Everyone in the Land

I believe the component that deserves the most attention overall in the listed environment's would be that of the physical security feature. The components that I consider less pertinent for these particular environments during a vulnerability assessment would be personnel security, information security, and interdepartmental dependencies. My reasoning for removing personnel security from the list is due to the minimal likelihood events like these would occur on a regular basis and pose a risk. Hiring security personnel or a law enforcement officer to monitor-guard a church during service is unrealistic and extremely cost-effective. Moreover, churches maintain the majority of their order of operation with the assistance of donations from members of the church and normally these funds help pay for utilities, food, and in some cases, the salaries of priests, pastors and other religious leaders. Implementing an information security feature into these environments would also prove in effective and non-cost efficient. Each scenario illustrates the assailants target was not intended for financial gain, but rather due to a political or personal vendetta. So, installing a security system designed to protect critical information, such as alarm codes, safe combinations, and other important documentation would have done no good in any of the giving situations.

The first step in addressing security is to form security committee dedicated to studying

the topic and ultimately, recommend options for the facility. If your congregation has a safety and security team currently in place, conduct a threat and vulnerability assessment for the property. You may want to obtain input from additional congregation members who have specialized experience ...

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...oods. Lacking the foundational platform that would result from an effective security review, there is a reasonable chance that a crisis management derived security program will look like a patchwork quilt. Security programs that are improperly derived often lack cohesiveness and a unified sense of purpose. Under optimal conditions, all the components of the security program must be integrated so as to produce a result where the sum of the parts is greater than the sum of the whole.

How much is enough? The answer to this question is much more difficult in the absence of a security assessment. The security assessment should produce a cost effective solution that blends the use of security personnel with the effective use of technology. Good security is also a participative sport in that all mall employees and tenants must participate for the good of the greater whole.