Church Safety Team Use of Force is very rare, but it does occur from time to time. We have mentioned in other blog posts that church violence statistics have increased significantly over the last ten (10) years and are projected to continue trending upward in the foreseeable future. Church safety team members must be trained, prepared, and ready, to respond using force, when necessary, to safeguard our church staff and congregations from harm.

In today’s world, we sadly face disruptions, disturbances, and even violence from time to time serving within church safety and security roles. Not everyone who enters our churches will uphold the standards of personal behavior and accountability. Yet, as stewards of the Lord’s work, it is crucial that we rise above such behavior when it occurs and respond in a measured and trained manner focused on safeguarding the church.

One of the main purposes of a church safety team is to be present, aware, and prepared to respond to these types of threats. When they occur, team members will have to use force to stop a person’s violent behavior in order to safeguard the church and congregation from harm. In this post I will discuss the purpose of a Use of Force Policy, what specific policy sections are necessary, and what should happen after force has been used by a church safety team member.

Church Safety Team Use of Force Policy

A Use of Force Policy is a set of guidelines and principles that dictate when and how church safety team members can use force within their role. The policy focal point is to ensure that force is used only when necessary and in line with church policy and the law. It outlines the types of force allowed (Use of Force Continuum), the situations where force may be used, and the procedures that must be followed before, during, and after a use of force.

The primary goal of the church safety team’s “Use of Force Policy,” is to protect church staff, the congregation, and the individual(s) involved, by promoting the safe, effective, and lawful use of force.

In The News

Man charged with assaulting seven congregants during a church service (Police Press Release).

Use of Force Policy

Each policy will be specific to its church and to the roles and services performed by the church safety team. Most policies will minimally contain the following sections:

• Purpose and Scope
• Policy Statement and Procedures
• Use of Force Continuum (Levels of Response)
• Rendering First Aid
• Report Writing
• Training

Use of Force Policy and Procedures

Policies and procedures work together, but they’re separate concepts. Policies define the objective, the focal point of what the church is attempting to accomplish. Procedures describe how the church will accomplish the objective(s).

A Church Use of Force Policy might say, “Use of force is limited to the minimum amount of force needed to stop a threat of, or actual physical assault to any person on the church campus.” This policy objective is the churches guidance to the church security team.

Procedures describe how the safety team will accomplish the policy objective and may say:  

• 9-1-1 should be called to request law enforcement assistance whenever a use of force has occurred or is likely to occur.
• Church Safety Team members should avoid physical contact, except when necessary or if the person initiates physical contact with another in the church.
• Church Safety Team members should take appropriate action to prevent further harm. This action is limited to subduing the person until the aggressor stops resisting and/or starts complying with commands.
• Use of force is limited to the minimum amount of force needed to stop a threat of, or actual physical assault to, any person on the church campus or involved in a church activity or event.

Use of Force Continuum

A Use of Force Continuum describes an escalating and de-escalation series of actions a church safety team member may take to resolve a situation. This continuum has five (5) levels, and members are trained to respond with a level of force appropriate to the situation at hand, acknowledging that the member may move through the entire continuum in a matter of seconds. The five (5) Levels of the Use of Force Continuum include:

• Level 1 | Church Safety Team Member Presence 
• Level 2| Verbal Commands
• Level 3 | Control and Restraint 
• Level 4 | Temporary Incapacitation of Subject 
• Level 5 | Use of Deadly Force 

Rendering First Aid

Following any use of force involving Levels 3-5, the church safety team should assess the situation to determine if medical assistance is needed. If there are any injuries, no matter how minor they may seem including a complaint of pain, first aid should be administered immediately. Providing first aid after a use of force incident is very important legally and it is the morally right thing to do.

When a use of force results in a complaint of pain or other injury, policy should specify that 9-1-1 be called to request a law enforcement and EMS response. There are three reasons for this request:

1. If someone complains of pain or has an injury, it is important to request EMS to respond and evaluate the person. They will either be seen and evaluated by EMS, or they may refuse and leave. In either case, there will be a record that EMS was requested by the church, and there will be documentation of either a baseline of injury or the person’s refusal to be evaluated.
2. Churches may need to obtain a restraining order against a person or group involved to stop this behavior from continuing and to safeguard the church and congregation from being harmed in the future. Law enforcement can obtain identity and address information on those involved and assist in obtaining a restraining order that forbids the person(s) from entering church property and/or contacting specific church members.
3. Law enforcement, Fire, and EMS personnel are considered uninvolved 3rd party subject matter experts. These professionals will respond to an emergency, are trained to mitigate whatever they are faced with, and must then document factually what occurred in a report. This documentation could be helpful should a future complaint or lawsuit be brought against the church.

It is very difficult to overcome public safety (law enforcement/fire/EMS) testimony in these cases, unless public safety wasn’t called and did not respond. Churches must balance a desire to be compassionate and merciful toward people wanting to harm them and safeguarding the church, staff and congregation from future harm. When wolves walk into our church through our wide-open doors, intending to prey on our church and congregation, our responsibility must be to safeguard God’s church and flock.

If it’s Predictable, it’s Preventable.

Gordon Graham – Risk Manager

Requesting law enforcement to respond, investigate, and document the incident, and Fire/EMS to medically evaluate the persons involved, helps to indemnify the church and safety team members for doing the right thing. It shows the church did its due diligence responsibility to safeguard all people, even those who pose a threat to the church. It is a positive reflection that the church cares about safeguarding everyone and anyone who enters onto the church property.

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What Happens After a Use of Force Incident Occurs

What happens after a use of force incident will depend on the amount of force used and the cooperation level of the individuals involved. If minor instances, Levels 1-2, the safety team usually escorts those involved off church property, unless instructed otherwise by church leadership. If the individuals are cooperative, it is always a good idea to gather pertinent information from them regarding their identity and the reasons behind their behavior that drew the attention of church safety.

If a Level 3-5 use of force was used, there can be many things that will happen simultaneously in addition to rendering first aid. The safety team should immediately evaluate the scene to ensure all church staff, congregation, and visitors are safe. Law enforcement and EMS should have been notified and are responding.

In most cases we would want to remove the person(s) involved to an area that is outside of the congregation’s view, while providing medical aid and waiting for law enforcement and/or fire/EMS to arrive. Unless the situation requires additional action steps to be taken to safeguard the church staff and congregation, we want to eliminate any further disruption to the church service.

Whenever a Level 3-5 use of force occurs, photographs and video should be taken of the area and people involved. Many churches will also have CCTV monitoring systems activated that will have captured the incident and reviewing those forms of media should be part of the investigation. Capturing pictures and videos of those involved in a use of force incident serves several important purposes:

• Documentation: Visual evidence such as photos and videos can document the sequence of events leading up to and during the use of force incident. This documentation can be helpful in accurately reconstructing the events later on, especially if there are conflicting accounts or legal proceedings.
• Evidence Preservation: Pictures and videos provide an authentic record of the scene, injuries sustained, property damage, and the demeanor of the individuals involved. This can prevent distortions of the facts made at a later time.
• Legal Protection: In the event of legal action or inquiries into the incident, visual evidence can support the church’s position by providing objective documentation of what occurred. It can help demonstrate that appropriate actions were taken by the church safety team and can serve as a defense against liability and allegations of misconduct.
• Training: Reviewing visual evidence can be valuable for training purposes. It allows church safety members to analyze their responses, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies to handle similar situations more effectively in the future.

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Church Incident Report: Church safety team policy should require a church incident report to be written whenever the Use of Force Continuum level 3, 4, or 5 was used. Safety team members may have discretion in documenting a Level 1-2 response depending on the circumstances. Each church is different, and each churches Use of Force policy and procedures should provide specific guidance on these issues.

Debrief the Use of Force

Whenever a Level 3-5 use of force occurs, the incident should be debriefed as a team as this helps the team process and learn from the incident. Everyone involved, starting with the member who reported the incident, who arrived first, and on down the line, explains their perception of what occurred and the actions that they took and why. The next round involves what the team believes was done correctly, what areas of the response could have been addressed differently, and what areas of improvement are needed.

An AAR (After Action Report) may be generated outlining the response actions taken and recommendations for improvement. Debriefing these incidents as a team provides several benefits:

• Emotional Support: For significant uses of force team debriefs provide a safe space for individuals to express their feelings and reactions to the incident, reducing the risk of emotional trauma.
• Information Sharing: Team debriefs allow for the sharing of information about the incident, ensuring that everyone involved has a clear understanding of what happened and why.
• Learning and Improvement: Team debriefs help to identify lessons learned from the incident, which can be used to improve future responses and possibly prevent similar incidents from occurring.
• Team Cohesion: Team debriefs can strengthen team cohesion by encouraging open communication and mutual support among team members.
• Resilience Building: Team debriefs can help individuals and teams develop resilience by providing coping strategies and resources to deal with future incidents.

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RELATED CONTENT

• Church Risk Assessments
• Church Safety Volunteers
• Mastering Verbal Communication

SUMMARY

When a threat arises at church, such as an intruder or a disruptive individual or group, safety team members are prepared to take decisive action to protect the church and its congregation from harm. This may occasionally necessitate the restrained use of force. As servants of the Lord, church safety team members understand that their objective is not to win a confrontation but to de-escalate the situation, stopping the use of force as soon as the threat of violence or active resistance has stopped.

Michael Elerick

Public Safety Training LLC is here to serve and has established training and consulting programs and publication resources available to help. We would be honored to assist your church and security team in any way we can. Contact us today!

Michael Elerick is the President of Public Safety Training LLC, a church safety and security training and consulting company. He retired from law enforcement as a Special Operations Commander and SWAT Commander. He served as the Executive Director for the Public Safety Training Institute (2010-2020), a non-profit public safety training organization, and has over three decades of experience as a Risk Manager and Security and Tactical expert. He is the author of Church Safety & Security 101, Emergency Preparedness for Church Volunteers, Church Security Team Development, Church Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), among other works.