Church Security Vigilantes

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Church Reeling From Sex Assault, Suicide Attempt

Here is an article sent in by one of our members. During a recent youth event, one of the adult females walked in and found a sexual assault taking place. The attacker attempted to take his life when the police arrived on the scene. Please remember that you need to maintain situational awareness during any church event. Please secure any access to unused areas of the church facility during these events to eliminate the possibility of a sexual predator luring a victim to a secluded area.

Church Reeling From Sex Assault, Suicide Attempt

Jane Slater
WAXAHACHIE (CBS 11 / TXA 21)

A Waxahachie church said they are still trying to recover from an incident that took place during youth services Wednesday night.

Waxahachie police say a 17-year-old boy was sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl when a woman in the church walked in.  Pastor Tim Gibson, of Heritage Baptist church, says they immediately called 911.  "Our hearts are broken today over this tragedy," says Gibson.

When police arrived the boy attempted to take his own life using a razor blade.  Emergency crews managed to get a hold of him and transport him to a Dallas hospital where he is currently receiving treatment for his injuries.

Waxahachie police says when the hospital discharges the boy he will face aggravated sexual assault charges.

They say the two know each other but do not believe they were romantically involved, or even close.

Gibson says his youth pastor and other counselors were at Waxahachie High School Thursday to reach out to students who were at the church during the incident or had heard about it.

He says his church would reevaluate their security procedures and try to do a better job monitoring teens on Wednesday nights.

Gibson says the church was already good about locking classroom and office doors during Sunday services,  and says they still wanted to maintain an 'open door' policy for those in the community.

Husband Shoots Ex-Wife During Church Counseling Session

A man shot and killed his wife in a Federal Way, WA church on March 17, 2010 while she was involved in a counseling session with church staff.

According to probable cause documents, Charles Parsons, 42, and his wife Carol Parsons were attending a couples counseling session at the church. Charles stood up and began to leave the room when he turned and pointed the gun at his wife. Charles also pointed the gun at the counselor and told him not to move.

He then turned the gun back toward Carol and he allegedly shot her at least three times.

He then called 911 (in video below) and calmly advised the police dispatcher that he had put the gun down and was lying on the ground awaiting police so they could arrest him.

Church Security Alliance

Man Intrudes And Disrupts During Church Service

An outside intruder who disrupts a church service is scary enough.  However, when things become violent it is important those who are dealing with the incident know how to de-escalate a situation if possible with verbal tactics. 

In the situation described in the video, a man entered a Sunday service while the minister was leading worship.  The pastor attempted to have a fellow minister serve the man, but he was later found in a balcony area where he became violent.

Two people were reportedly injured in the scuffle and taken to the emergency room.

The man was reportedly familiar to the church, and they had assisted him in times past.  It was unknown why he became violent.

Past behavior is not an indicator of future behavior, especially when dealing with people.  Often times, due to stress, drugs or mental illness, people can become violent quickly and without warning.

Understanding how to de-escalate a situation with verbal tactics may help your church security team avoid unnecessary violence, as well as potential liability. 

It is important to note that this is not a judgement on how this particular church handled this situation.  There is a lot of information not available in the video, and each person who handles a potentially violent may experience, perceive, and feel danger differently than another person.

What is important is to attempt to deflect and de-escalate (as this church did well), and contact local law enforcement before a situation escalates to violence, if possible.