Church Security and Safety
Our location in Ventura is best described as “urban” versus “rural.” We are in proximity to the walking path, shopping centers, and the county government center. There is a lot of activity surrounding our church. Not all of it good.
Recently the Whales Tail bench in the back corner of the parking lot was painted with graffiti, and on occasion we have had some unauthorized folks sleeping on our property.
Last month, in response to these types of concerns, the Board approved a request from our Safe Sleep volunteers to temporarily hire a security patrol service to check on our property during the early morning hours.
The purpose of obtaining the service was two-fold. First to help reduce night-time trespassing; and second, to aid in the monitoring of our parking lot related to the church ministry of the Safe Sleep program.
The initial use of the patrol service is intended to be short-term, two to four months. During this period, the members of our church who make the Safe Sleep program the successful ministry it is will be gathering data based on their observations and daily experiences. They will incorporate the reports provided by the patrol service into that data. The goal is to look closely at the information to determine if such a service should be included in our annual budget.
Some of the questions we are trying to answer include:
- Do we need a security service?
- Do we need a year-round service or one that is intermittent?
- Does having the service make a difference in caring for our property, members and guests?
A few years ago, we established a Safety Committee (currently inactive) that had the issue of security as one of its responsibilities. That committee was formed in response to problems that several churches around the country were experiencing. Churches rarely need more committees but it seems the time has come to re-establish the Safety Committee.
If issues of risk management, safety of our employees, members and guests, and the security of our property, interest you, please contact me for consideration in participating on the Safety Committee.
Living in Paradise,
Bryan Buck, President