Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 31 March 2025

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters.   

Upcoming FB-ISAO Event: Standing Up Teams 

• Date: 02 April 2025 
• Time: 12pm ET 
• Register Here. 
• Non-members register Here.  

For various reasons, many houses of worship are devoid of a formal security team. Though that is a difficult reality, there are things that can be done to help enhance your organization’s security posture, even with limited resources. This session will explore ideas around a bottom-up approach to protecting the house of worship and its members, investing in skills to beef up the sole practitioner’s knowledge and skills, and considering ways to leverage community-based resources. Most importantly, this session will help members with attaining the  perspective and support needed to not burn out! For more information on Standing Up Teams visit FB-ISAO Standing up Teams.  

Nerd Out EP 56. Deep dive into radicalization and other news 

The Gate 15 Nerd Out! Security Panel Discussion, moderated by Dave Pounder, focuses on physical security topics including terrorism, extremism, hostile events, and other pertinent topics. 

In the latest episode of Nerd Out, Dave and Alec talked about the following topics: 

• Quick thoughts on Signal-gate 
• Deep dive into radicalization including the latest trends, concerning behaviors and what individuals and organizations can do 
• Other all-hazard quick hits 

Information on other Gate 15 podcasts can be found at Podcasts. 

Fatal Shooting at Milwaukee Church Daycare Drop-Off 

On March 26, 2025, a father dropping off his children at Covenant Lutheran Church in Milwaukee was confronted by a man who pointed what appeared to be a handgun at them. The father, acting to protect his children, retrieved a firearm from his car and shot the suspect, who later died at the scene. It was later revealed that the suspect’s weapon was a fake gun. The incident is under investigation, with the father detained while authorities review the situation. The church’s security cameras confirmed the father’s actions were in defense of his family. 

Analyst Comments: As faith-based organizations develop or update security plans, they will want to give considerations to surveillance camera placement, parking lot monitoring, and areas that may need additional safety measures like childcare areas. Faith-Based organizations are increasingly encouraged to incorporate security training for their staff, volunteers, and congregants. To learn more about Standing up a Security Team join the Zoom on April 2nd to hear from FB-ISAO members how to Stand up a Security Team.  

California Changed the Law. Is Your Church Security Team Now Illegal? 

California’s Senate Bill 1454, effective January 1, 2025, has removed longstanding exemptions for churches regarding licensing requirements for security personnel. The law now mandates that churches employing uniformed, paid security personnel (even if they are volunteers) must comply with licensing regulations. Specifically, these individuals must be registered as Proprietary Private Security Officers (PPSO) with the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), and may also need additional certifications, including for firearms if applicable. The bill impacts churches that use uniformed security personnel who interact with the public, even if they are not armed. Church leaders must ensure their security teams meet these requirements or risk liability.  

Analyst Comments: The change in California law regarding church security teams brings up several important considerations for Faith-Based organizations, particularly those that rely on volunteers or non-professional security personnel. In response to this change, it is important for faith-based organizations to focus on preparing their teams to meet the new legal standards. Including offering training on how to legally and ethically engage with security procedures, ensuring that both armed and unarmed security personnel are well-equipped to protect their communities without violating the law. 

Into the Crowd: The Evolution of Vehicular Attacks and Prevention Efforts – Combating Terrorism Center at West Point 

In recent months, there have been a series of vehicular attacks in Germany, the United States, and Israel targeting civilians during celebrations and public gatherings. This is representative of an increase in the use of the tactic. Following the Nice and Berlin attacks in 2016, vehicular ramming terrorist attacks in North America and Europe reached a peak in 2017, before subsiding with the waning of the international terror threat posed by the Islamic State and its supporters. Of the 18 terrorist vehicular ramming attacks between 2014 and March 2025, 15 (83%) were carried out by jihadis and three (17%) by right-wing extremists. Since 2016, governments and security practitioners have focused significant attention on protecting against the vehicle-ramming threat to pedestrianized areas, bringing in new technologies. Yet, the relative ease of launching a vehicle attack and the very large number of soft targets available means it is a tactic that is very difficult to defend against. When it comes to indicators and warnings of future attacks, the demonstration effect created by high-casualty vehicle-ramming attacks has in the past seemingly produced a surge in copycat attacks, which means the security agencies should be particularly vigilant given the recent uptick in high-profile attacks, including the New Orleans attack. 

Analyst Comments: The increase in vehicular ramming attacks targeting civilians during public events highlights a concerning trend in terrorism, underscoring the difficulties faced by security agencies in preventing such incidents. The statistic that 83% of these attacks are carried out by jihadis suggest that the tactic remains primarily associated with Islamist terrorism. The key to mitigating the risk of vehicular attacks lies in both continued technological development and improved public awareness and vigilance. As always you can find more resources in the FB-ISAO resource library on vehicle ramming.