8 Things Your Shul or School Should Agree on About Security

By Zalman Myer-Smith

Hopefully, by now your shul or school has fences, barriers, security cameras, lighting, impact windows or other available security improvements. Either through the competitive DHS Nonprofit security grant, a state security grant or through other means.

You might even have a shul or school security fee that helps cover the cost of off-duty police or licensed private security officers. In the consistent current threat environment to Jewish sites, your site should have made some progress towards mitigating physical threats during events or school.

Security is a multi-layered process. Utilizing Dept. of Homeland Security best practices, the choice method is a) to deter, b) to detect, c) to delay and d) to defend. Security planning is an in-depth issue that requires both preparation and ongoing training.

Putting that critical part of fundamental site security to the side, let’s cover a challenge faced by school directors and Shul leadership in almost every state in the USA: The concealed carry parent or shul goer. Of course, weapon laws vary from state to state, however I’ll address various questions asked that impact countless Jewish sites.

A weapon is simply a tool. It’s only good as the training, experience and common sense the operator has. Getting a concealed weapons permit does not mean you know how to shoot. Practicing at a shooting range versus shooting a firearm to take down an active threat in a crowded environment with many innocents are two very different realities.

Even using pepper spray or a stun gun requires training to ensure you know how to use it and to also make sure that it does not get taken and used by an attacker against you during an altercation.

In firearms safety classes, I use an example of a fire extinguisher. Hopefully, you have one in your house, you know where it is, that it’s in good working order and you know how to use it in stressful life-saving circumstances. If any of that sequence is missing in an emergency, you have created a potentially disastrous crisis.

Much like a fire extinguisher, it’s very reactive to rely on a firearm or other weapons to stave off an attack on your site. It can provide a false sense of security. You use an extinguisher because a fire has already started. I’m an NRA firearms instructor and fully support using weapons as a tool to respond to a myriad of threats, but only with appropriate initial and ongoing training by an experienced professional. I truly believe every Jewish location should have a site member (even if it’s the Rabbi) to be able to be effectively equipped to respond to an armed attacker.

However, when it gets to the point of having to use a firearm or weapon, your security has effectively failed. The bad guys know where Jewish shuls and schools are. They know the days we go to school and Shul. They just need to show up. What are you and your site going to be able to do about it?

I get asked constantly about the pros, cons, legalities and practicalities of having armed shul members on a site. These are some very serious questions and we set up a team with seasoned law enforcement, legal and security professionals to address these issues.

If your locality allows concealed weapons, it’s imperative to factor in that shul members may be carrying weapons without notifying you. We have encountered some very poor and dangerous firearms practices and you site leadership should have a conversation about implementing protocols that cover concealed carry members. In the event of an attack where in a lot of cases the attack is very fast-moving, most Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) holders won’t know how to effectively respond if stress and scenario training has not been previously implemented.

A gun in the hands of a person not trained or experienced to shoot in high-stress environments with kids and other innocents is a potential nightmare. So with that, here are some areas for you and your security committee to examine:

1. Ability to lock down and compartmentalize – you want to be able to isolate the progress of an attacker. We won’t get into details here for obvious reasons, but there are things you can do to delay the progress of an attacker while speeding up the responses of your site members and law enforcement.

2. Who is calling 911? – How are you going to call 911? Who will call and what they will say? A security emergency calling script helps.

3. EMT back/Stop the bleed – if you are carrying any weapon or allowing people on your site to do so, they MUST have completed a stop the bleed and first aid course to save lives after an incident.

4. Law enforcement liaison – Did you meet with the local law enforcement department to discuss active shooter training and responses and their procedures if they come on-site during or after an attack?

5. Training – If the weapon is taken off you, what other skills do you have? Understanding hidden hands, physiology allows you to understand pre-attack behaviors and appropriate responses. Scenarios along with exposure to krav maga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or similar will make training more effective, realistic and allow you to fix weaknesses in your emergency responses. It’s always better to have drilled protocols in place before, not during or after an incident.

6. Insurance – You will be held liable if there is a shooting incident or physical altercation. Your site could be named in a lawsuit with months of costly litigation. If you do have a volunteer security team, insurance is a must. The insurance of the private security company you have outside should carry enough coverage & name your site as the insured. Any concealed weapons carrier should also carry their own insurance. US Law Shield and USCCA are 2 excellent options, but there are others out there. Check with your site insurance carrier any stipulations or guidance they have with regards to contracted and volunteer armed security at your location to make sure that you are protected after an incident, G-d forbid.

7. Legal team – know state and local laws on firearms. No policy is a policy in place and you will be judged after the fact, just as you will be when you announce you are allowing concealed carry weapons on your site or the arming of a volunteer security team. Signage, protocols and guidance can be used to let visitors and members know your site is not a weapons-free zone and has well thought out protocols and procedures in place.

8. Nonweapon carrying shul members – Not everyone is pro weapons. You don’t want to alienate people coming to your shul or school because they are either against weapon carrying or have a legitimate concern that you are authorizing the carrying of weapons to inexperienced people in lieu of training or hiring security of off duty law enforcement.

What considerations can we take away from this:

1. A response to an attacker has to be proportionate tactically & legally.
2. Set up a security committee today.
3. Schedule a security assessment today.
4. Create a security plan and protocols for your location
5. Have the security plan and protocols reviewed by an external agency
6. Contact local law enforcement and start building bridges and relationships. CSO can happily connect you with local, state or federal law enforcement contacts.
7. Consult with an attorney and your insurance carrier
8. Consult with CSO on protocol guidelines
9. Decide on your circles of security. Are you going to use private security or off-duty law enforcement for your outer security?
10. Who will help your outer layer of security screen and greet visitors?
11. Your inner security team? Licensed, insured? Or just greeters/ushers? Do they intervene if the outer layers of security are breached? Is your congregation vulnerable because the “Hired gun” is G-d forbid overcome by an attacker?

May we never need it, but just in case, let’s not wait to get this done.