FB-ISAO

Tag: faith

  • Worshipping in Peace: More Secure and Resilient Doesn’t Necessarily Mean More Guns

    Worshipping in Peace: More Secure and Resilient Doesn’t Necessarily Mean More Guns

    In the days since last month’s horrific attack on Jewish congregants at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh – and in many ways, a much broader attack against all people of faith – there have been two recurring themes that have been prevalent in many of the articles that have followed. One theme has been the surge in faith-based leaders and organizations seeking active shooter training; something we typically see after a significant incident impacting any community. The other has been a lot of questioning about whether the time has come for armed guards at our places of worship and meeting – Jewish facilities and other houses of worship, schools, and facilities. These are both rationale responses, however both are incomplete. Developing real security and resilience requires more than a class and more than weapons – it demands a modest amount of time and effort, on a regular basis, and in a deliberate manner. We call this preparedness.

    National Preparedness Goal: “A secure and resilient nation with the capabilities required across the whole community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk.”

    Preparedness is a shared responsibility; it calls for the involvement of everyone — not just the government — in preparedness efforts. By working together, everyone can help keep the nation safe from harm and help keep it resilient when struck by hazards, such as natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and pandemics.

    Whole Community includes:

    • Individuals and families, including those with access and functional needs
    • Businesses
    • Faith-based and community organizations
    • Nonprofit groups
    • Schools and academia
    • Media outlets
    • All levels of government, including state, local, tribal, territorial, and federal partners

    From FEMA’s Whole Community website: https://www.fema.gov/whole-community

    The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has invested a lot of time in striving to foster a culture of preparedness. That involves all of us – the “whole community” – working together to support the National Preparedness Goal. According to the FEMA 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, one of the goals for the next five years is to build a culture of preparedness: “Every segment of our society, from individual to government, industry to philanthropy, must be encouraged and empowered with the information it needs to prepare for the inevitable impacts of future disasters.” A big goal, but one we at FB-ISAO think is vital to our collective security and a duty we all have to one another and our country.

    After the Tree of Life attack, it should be expected and is a positive development that others in the community of faith find urgency in seeking training. It is a good thing to do. The challenge with that reaction is we too often send someone to training, or attend ourselves, and then return to the demands of every day. Time will pass, the impact of the incident lessens, and new issues demand our attention. It can be hard to have effective follow-through if we don’t have a plan to make it a success. Attending training is great – but preparedness demands we do more than check the block.

    “a determined attacker seeking to cause harm and use violence can be successful regardless of your security measures.”

    Reassessing security measures is an essential part of building an effective organizational security program. Organizations, leaders, staff, congregation members, and others should question facility security, especially in light of new attacks or threats. Asking questions about the for need armed guards at faith-based organizations is a sensible part of that process, and it’s up to each place of worship and facility to decide what is best. But armed security only partially addresses the challenge of effective response to an attack and it brings risks that one needs to very carefully consider before making a decision. Sad as it is to say, even with twenty armed security personnel securing every door, a determined attacker seeking to cause harm and use violence can be successful regardless of your security measures, or the attacker may find another vulnerable time to strike. Aiming to prevent is admirable; being prepared to respond is critical.

    Preparedness entails developing basic capabilities through a deliberate cycle – one referred to as the Preparedness Cycle – of planning, organizing and equipping, training, exercising, evaluating and improving, and continuing the cycle. Over time, as you progress through the cycle and with continuous improvement, your organization begins to build a culture of preparedness.

    We encourage faith-based organizations to avoid knee-jerk reactions, but rather, take a methodical, deliberate approach to increasing preparedness and fostering a preparedness mindset among your leaders, staff, and congregation. Consider your resources – both time and personnel – and develop a realistic goal for achieving a desired level of readiness. Then begin the process, taking it in steps, and building as you go.

     

    Proverbs 20:4: “The sluggard will not plow when winter setteth in; therefore he shall beg in harvest, and have nothing.”

     

    A few things to consider as you get started.

    Think Broader Than Active Shooters. As stated above, a determined attacker seeking to cause harm and use violence can be successful regardless of your security measures. Even if you were able to eliminate the threat of gun violence, a determined attacker can cause harm with any number of potential weapons. In our last post we wrote that whether with a gun, an edged-weapon, explosives, vehicles, or any number of potential weapons, once an attacker has determined that they will attack – there will always be the possibility that an unexpected hostile event can occur. Your approach to preparedness should respect the possibility of a hostile event broadly, not just the potential for an active shooter.

    We use the term “Hostile Event” to encompass a variety of events involving the killing or attempt to kill in public while having access to additional victims. This includes active shooter incidents, workplace violence and workplace attacks, lone actor and low-tech terrorism, complex coordinated terrorist attacks, and other related activities. In the recent update to NFPA 3000, the National Fire Protection Association adopted the term “ASHER” for Active Shooter / Hostile Event Response. That is a mindset we all need to embrace.

    Designate a Champion. We all get distracted by the demands of our day-to-day. Preparedness is not easy, not always exciting, and requires deliberate attention. As such, rather than put it on the “I’ll get to it” list, designate someone to champion organizational preparedness. If not a single person, consider designating a committee as the champion, or whatever works for your organization. This champion should develop goals and milestones and be given the authority to move things along and make progress. It can be a staff member, an additional duty, a motivated volunteer – anyone that can effectively take ownership for preparedness and that is given the authority and support to succeed.

    Be Deliberate. Preparedness should be something that is recurring, progressively more challenging, and properly developed, conducted, and documented. Consider a developmental cycle from basics to complex. Since its football season, think of it like learning how to properly block at the individual level, and then moving towards an offensive line that can move together to make holes and allow runners to gain yards. Cardinals fans, consider looking at another team for an effective example…

    FB-ISAO encourages a process that ideally would include: education, individual training, planning workshops and plans development, tabletop exercises (TTX) and progression to more complex operational exercise like drill(s) and maturing towards functional and full-scale exercises. There are critical actions that go along with all these activities, and it is important to properly plan and document each of these events. But this needn’t be costly, and a motivated champion can do a lot of great work using freely available guidance and references.

    In the months ahead, FB-ISAO looks forward to introducing tools to help further enhance the security and resilience of the community of faith, to help members better communicate, alert, and share with other members, as well as begin our routine offering of hostile events preparedness education (via webinar). In the meanwhile, please contact our team to join the developing FB-ISAO community.

     

    The Star of David memorials are lined with flowers at the Tree of Life synagogue two days after a mass shooting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 29. (Jared Wickerham/EPA-EFE/REX) – caption and image from the LA Times at this link: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-litman-how-squirrel-hill-and-jewish-life-changed-20181030-story.html
  • Faith-Based Preparedness: A Horrific Reminder of Hate-Filled Attacks Upon People of Faith

    Faith-Based Preparedness: A Horrific Reminder of Hate-Filled Attacks Upon People of Faith

    FB-ISAO has assessed the Physical Threat Level for the US faith-based community is “GUARDED.” As per FB-ISAO’s definitions of the Physical Threat Levels, “GUARDED” means FB-ISAO is unaware of any specific threats but a general risk of incidents exists. This has not changed after Saturday’s mass shooting. There is no known credible reporting indicating any broader threat to religious facilities or any known connection between the suspect and other extremist or terrorist groups. The incident is being investigated by the FBI is investigating the shooting as a hate crime.

     

    On Saturday, our nation saw another horrific attack aimed at people of faith, this time in the form of a brutal assault on Jewish congregants at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. The attacker stated, “I Just Want to Kill Jews.” While his ire was aimed at the Jewish people, this attack, and last week’s murders in Lexington, serve as stark reminders of how houses of worship and people of faith can easily be targeted and underscore the importance of reasonable preparedness.

    • The attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh has left eleven dead and more injured, including congregants and responding police officers. Fox News has summarized the incident, some of the actions taken during the attack and the attacker’s online comments articulating his anti-Semitic views. The entire article is worth reviewing – some notable excerpts follow:
      “The suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue repeatedly expressed anti-Semitic views as he traded gunfire with responding officers, at one point flatly stating: ‘I just want to kill Jews…’”
    • Robert G. Bowers’ “assault on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood began at approximately 9:50 a.m., when all three congregations housed in the building were holding Sabbath services…
    • “Bowers was armed with three Glock .357 handguns and an AR-15 rifle…
    • “multiple calls reporting an active shooter were made from the synagogue at 9:54 a.m. The first two officers to arrive on the scene exchanged fire with Bowers…
    • “Rabbi Jonathan Perlman shepherded some of the congregants behind a steel door in the basement of the building, likely saving their lives…
    • “Bowers had made his way to the third floor of the synagogue. After SWAT team members found him there, the document said Bowers shot two team members multiple times leaving one officer in critical condition. The remaining team members exchanged fire with Bowers, eventually wounding him and capturing him.
    • “During this period, according to the federal affidavit, Bowers ‘repeated comments regarding genocide, his desire to kill Jewish people, and that Jewish people needed to die.’ He also accused Jews of ‘committing genocide to my people,’ a comment that echoes those Bowers is believed to have made on the social media site Gab…”

    “if our procedures were not already at the level they should be before this incident, then we would be doing our congregants a disservice” – Chris Morris, Cornerstone Chapel

    In isolation, the mass shooting is a horrific event. Taken in with last week’s other notable incidents – including the mail campaign and the murder in Kentucky after the possible attempt to target a predominantly black church congregation, several key considerations stand out.

    • Hometown Security. DHS has promoted the idea of developing “hometown security.” For houses of worship, that can occur at both the real, physical, level in our communities, and virtually, with communities of trusted partners, including other faith-based organizations, public sector homeland security and law enforcement partners, and others. Building relationships and developing security coordination before an incident can help mitigate the impacts of an attack, should one occur.  From the DHS website, members can find resources on several relevant areas, including:
      • Securing Soft Targets and Crowded Spaces. “Soft Targets and Crowded Places, such as sports venues, shopping venues, schools, and transportation systems, are locations that are easily accessible to large numbers of people and that have limited security or protective measures in place making them vulnerable to attack.”
      • Connect, Plan, Train, Report. “The Department encourages businesses to Connect, Plan, Train, and Report. Applying these four steps in advance of an incident or attack can help better prepare businesses and their employees to proactively think about the role they play in the safety and security of their businesses and communities.”
    • Preparedness. When extremists or unhealthy individuals seek to cause harm, if genuinely determined, they can be successful. Whether with a gun, an edged-weapon, explosives, vehicles, or any number of potential weapons, once an attacker has determined that they will attack there will always be the possibility that an unexpected hostile event can occur. At that point, individuals in the immediate area will have minutes – typically in the area of five minutes based on FBI data – in which their immediate actions can make critical differences. Organizational preparedness for the immediate response to a hostile event can save the lives of personnel – staff, congregation members and other guests. As the Pittsburgh synagogue attack and failed incident in Lexington demonstrate, an attack can occur anywhere, including your facility.

    The Hostile Events Attack Cycle details a process that attackers go through when preparing for an attack. Whether they knowingly or unknowingly go through this process, elements of the cycle are identified during the subsequent investigations and analysis of the event. The attack cycle begins with target selection and all the steps that go into identifying, surveilling, validating and ultimately confirming the target. It’s followed by attack planning steps which incorporate finalizing the plan, acquiring weapons and supplies needed to carry out and possibly escape from the attack, pre-attack checks to ensure everything is working as expected, and finally, rehearsals/walk throughs of the attack (which may be on a map, on a table with representations of the target and locations, or in their mind). Finally, they are ready for the attack, and possibly an escape. “Possibly” because some attacks are not designed for an escape. So, for some attacks, the physical attack will be the last act, while in others, there will be an escape.

    from: “Hostile Events: Deliberate Planning and Escape,” 05 Nov 2017

    Following incidents as we saw this weekend – or after the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin, the Charleston church shooting, or the more recent Baptist church shooting in Sutherland Springs – there is often an increased level of anxiety and a desire by both those involved in securing facilities – to include houses of worship – and patrons of those facilities (to include those attending for worship and other faith-based activities) to want to “do something.”

    That is admirable, but the reality is these tend to be isolated incidents that can occur anytime, and too often do occur at houses of worship. Therefore, it’s not about doing something in response to a single attack, but rather, baking good preparedness practices into daily operations. When being prepared is part of what we do every day, then our houses of worship, and those we invite to join in the praise of God and the celebration of faith, will be more ready to respond should a hostile event occur. As FB-ISAO Board Member Chris Morris, with Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia recently stated, “As we were preparing for Sunday services, I was asked if we would be increasing security because of the tragedy that happened on Saturday. I responded ‘no’ and explained that if our procedures were not already at the level they should be before this incident, then we would be doing our congregants a disservice.” Chris has baked security and preparedness into his organization’s day-to-day, and as such can avoid knee-jerk reactions and impromptu security measures.

    Following the arrest of the suspect behind the recent mail threats. in remarks Friday, the FBI stated though the suspect had been detained there was a continuing threat. Similarly, though the Pittsburgh attack is over, there is an enduring threat of hostile events facing houses of worship and people of faith. Speaking to the mail threat but applicable to faith-based preparedness as well, FBI Director Wray stated, “…we need the help of everyone out there—every citizen, every law enforcement partner, everyone we’ve got…” If you see something that looks awry, a potential threat, a suspicious package, threatening remarks, etc. “(no) piece of information is too small; every tip could be the one that leads to something very important. And of course, if you see any suspicious activity, please call your local authorities. We need all hands on deck. We need to stay vigilant.”

    In the months ahead, FB-ISAO looks forward to introducing tools to help members better communicate, alert, and share with other members, and to begin our routine offering of hostile events preparedness education (via webinar). In the meanwhile, please contact our team to join the developing FB-ISAO community.

    Want to learn more about Hostile Events? Faith-Based ISAO analyst Dave Pounder wrote a short series for Homeland Security Today:

    Dave will be updating this series for FB-ISAO members early next year. Understanding indicators and the hostile events attack cycle can help leaders and staff potentially spot concerning activities and potentially allow the prevention of an actual attack.

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