You can't leave your church building unlocked. Not anymore. Not for any reason. Not during the weekday, not during worship, not during Bible class. In fact, many years ago, when I was an associate minister at a large church, the secretary wished she could lock the doors. That, however, was not allowed, so she made doubly sure she had an escape route through the building in the event of trouble. She and I still talk. I worry because my old secretary is no safer today than she was three decades ago. Why? Everyone who has ever worshiped at that church building has a key. Yep. Everybody gets a key, they always have - all six hundred members. Those who don't have one ask a member to make them a copy. I have clients who have caught people who no longer attend their church stopping to use the restroom. One church secretary tells me that she showed up one Monday morning to find someone had made $1,000 worth of color copies on the printer.
Fact #1 - Today, if you do not have a hard-to-duplicate key system on your building, your members are making copies and handing them out. You do not know how many keys are out and who has them. I know, I know - I'm trying to sell you a secure key and lock system. Guess what? You're right. That's my job; but that doesn't mean you still don't need to get your key distribution under control.
One church I know of does a great job busing in inner-city kids. I mean, they really pack the place on Wednesday nights. When the kids arrive, their parent or sponsor takes them to a check-in desk, registers them, and puts a sticker on their shirt. I mean, who would've thought churches would start card-cataloging kids? Actually, its a great idea. Too many kids these days come from broken families. All it takes for a disaster to occur is for a non-custodial parent to arrive, ask for Bobby, and then disappear with him. Several persons involved with this ministry have asked about using the Barracuda device to lock up the kids' wing during Bible class. This device mounts on the "scissors" of the door closer and prevents someone from gaining entrance to the room from the outside. However, this device is a potentially life-threatening code violation. In the event there is a rush for the doors, either because of fire, building collapse, or a surprise shooter who came in through the back door, the press of people against the door would make it impossible for anyone to remove the Barracuda. Thousands of people have died in schools, homes, businesses, and churches, paving the way for codes that would ensure public safety. It is important that you observe life safety codes.
Fact #2 - Life safety and fire codes have been developed for a reason. You must observe them. That means you cannot use a Barracuda in most situations where a door leads to a hall used as a passage to an escape. If you have a door with a lit EXIT sign above it, you cannot use more than one locking device. In fact, as far as churches are concerned in most cases, codes call for a crash bar or panic bar. Before you plan an active shooter prevention strategy, have a meeting with your local fire marshal and a law enforcement officer. Your local authority having jurisdiction over life-safety codes can allow the bending of rules in certain instances. Be sure to get any advice he gives you in writing.
One church I work with has a plan to protect its very large congregation from an active shooter during worship. In the event an active shooter enters the building, they will have their men attach the Barracuda devices on all ten doors. Good luck with that! Perhaps they have never seen the movie where the girl, being chased by a monster, actually manages to insert the keys into the car's ignition. So, my question to the Barracuda devotees is this: what if there is a second shooter inside the sanctuary waiting for the first to start shooting? I mean, right?
People are worried that shootings are going to occur when the entire church is assembled in the main auditorium. However, many of my clients, worried that an attack may occur during the Bible class hour, are preparing their classrooms and bathrooms. How are they doing it? They are installing commercial-grade levers using the entry function. In the event an active shooter situation arises, the teachers can simply push the button on the inside of the door. Some clients are asking about the Intruder locks. And Intruder lock is a classroom lock with a key on both sides. In the event of a shooter, the teacher takes her key and, by using it on the inside of the lock, locks the outside lock. This lock will keep the teacher from having to go outside, into harm's way, to lock the lock. However, I am firmly against the Intruder lock for churches. In the event of an emergency, the teacher may panic and fail to lock the lock in a timely manner.
Fact #3 - The commercial entry lever using an interior push-button is quicker and easier to lock than a key-operated Intruder. And it is cheaper! Yes, a young rascal can play games and lock anybody out of the classroom. However, all of the entry locks used on the classrooms can be set up with hard-to-duplicate keys, and all the locks can be keyed to match.
Locking down the doors of your church building, after worship begins, is a must today. At nine o'clock on Sunday morning, lock them down and put door greeters at the main entrances. Tell your church members that, after worship begins, they must enter at certain entrances. In fact, it is even better if you get your members trained to use as few entrance/exits as possible. When I install high-security key systems on churches, I always disable the key cylinders on more than half the doors, doors that people do not need to be using anyway, thus saving the church money. Many churches hire a police officer to stand that church entrance when worship starts. Others use men who conceal and carry.
Fact #4 - Locked doors during worship, attended by armed men, provide the first layer of protection to your church. I'm not here to argue scripture about weapons, I'm just telling you what many churches are doing.
After you have locked the outside doors and have positioned people to watch them, it's time to lock the auditorium doors. Most churches, because of life-safety code requirements, use panic bars on their auditorium exit doors. All panic bars can be equipped with outside trim that can be used to lock or unlock the panic bars. This function is called the classroom function. When worship starts, an usher can lock the outside panic bar trim. In the event someone leaves the auditorium, that person can freely exit without having to have the panic bar unlocked. However, when that person returns, she can be let back in by the usher. In the event you want panic bars with locking switches on the inside, you can get the Von Duprin panic bar with the security indicator. The cost of this device is astronomical at this time, running somewhere between $1500 and $2000 per device. See the illustration. When you lock the auditorium doors in conjunction with having locked the exterior doors, you have two layers of protection. Add a police officer outside, and you have a third layer.
Let's tie this up. Securing your church during times of worship doesn't have to be expensive, but it will take some money to do. First, get control of your key situation. Issue them to people who really need them and number them. Let your members know that, if they lose their key, they are responsible for re-keying the locks. If you change your locks to a high-security system, don't worry about changing all of the locks. Choose the main entrances, change them, and block of the keyholes on the others. Second, observe all life-safety codes when using or adding any locking devices. Remember: all doors designated as emergency exits must be able to open in one motion. You cannot use two locks or use a Barracuda device. Third, install commercial-grade entry lever locks on all rooms used during church functions. Fourth, lock all outside doors when worship starts and post volunteers to watch these doors. Hire an off-duty police officer. Then, lock down the auditorium doors and post ushers or volunteers.
Another option for churches who can afford it would be cameras and magnetic locks. These types of items are offered by your alarm provider.
If you would like for me to quote a hard-to-duplicate system, please call me at 615-308-6794. I know this sounds self-serving, but I help people get through these issues every day! And check out my books on Amazon!
