The photo above was taken at the first Sheriff’s Office Church Security Training Session in February 2016.
In the late fall of 2015, Sheriff Jim McVicker directed the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office Training Division to develop and offer a comprehensive House of Worship Safety and Security Program. The initiative was officially launched on February 8, 2016, at the Elizabethtown Baptist Church, with attendees representing multiple regional churches.
Since that time, hundreds of churches have participated in this important training. The Program was designed and implemented by Sergeant Barry Pait and Sergeant Gary Turlington of the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office Training Division utilizing information available from the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association, statistical information available from national incident reports, and response protocols already practiced in business and educational institutions.
Sergeant Turlington explained, “The training program is structured to address possible methods and policies that a house of worship or other public facilities may implement or adapt to lessen the risks associated with an event that jeopardizes attendees’ safety.”
Sergeant Turlington said, “It is difficult to determine the exact number as not every church representative that attends these programs have signed the rosters. One offering saw forty-five (45) separate churches represented that was held at Wesley’s Chapel United Methodist Church a few years ago. That event was the largest to date.”
He added, “This week, in strict compliance with the State Covid Restrictions regarding numbers in attendance, social distancing, and facial masks, a very small group from Zion Hill Baptist Church attended the one hundredth (100th) delivery and presentation of this important Program. We are members of the national coalition known as the Faith Based Security Network (FBSN), which is a network of security and law enforcement professionals dedicated to continuously improving security of faith-based organizations.”
“While presenting a continuously improving and updated Program, we assimilate important lessons learned from meeting and communicating with individuals such as Pastor Frank Pomeroy of the Sutherland Springs Baptist Church where a gunman killed twenty-six (26) people and wounded another twenty (20),” Sergeant Turlington stated, “Among those killed in this tragic event was Pastor Pomeroy’s fourteen (14) year old daughter. We have learned from attending additional seminars held by Carl Chinn, President of the FBSN and author of the book “Evil Invades Sanctuary” and Lieutenant Colonel David Grossman, who authored numerous books regarding the psychological aspect of violence.”
Sergeant Pait and Sergeant Turlington are both State Certified Instructors for the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training and Standards Commission and have earned additional certifications from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Domestic Preparedness.
Sergeant Turlington said as a reminder to anyone interested, “We are available by request for any regional house of worship or other facility that may be interested in this Program at no expense whatsoever.”
To request assistance, contact the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office front desk at (910) 862-6960.
About Author
