Page 70 - Security Today, July/August 2021

Sacred and Secure How to maintain openness and accessibility, and offer security and safety
By Padma Duvvuri
When people think of a House of Worship (HoW) what may first come to mind is a solemn sanctu- ary of welcome and refuge. Churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and other places of worship are built on the premise of openness and accessibility, peace and community.
As crime and targeted violence in- creases in almost every other aspect of life, Houses of Worship have unfortu- nately not been spared. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), there has been a “discern- ible increase in the number of [targeted violence] incidents between 2015 and 2019” at houses of worship. Of these at- tacks, “54%... were an armed assault of some kind, including shootings, edged weapons and vehicular assaults.”1 In 2019 alone, HoW’s experienced extreme attacks world-wide:
• March 2019: Australian man opened fire on worshipers in two mosques in Christ- church, New Zealand, killing 50 people
• April 2019: Poway, California, synagogue shooting results in 1 death and 3 injuries
• April 2019: Easter Sunday explosions in churches and hotels in Sri Lanka kill more
than 250 people, including 45 children
In protecting HoW’s, security profes- sionals and congregants face a unique di- lemma: how to maintain openness and ac- cessibility while still ensuring security and safety. While the targeted violent attacks on Houses of Worship are what make the news, they face a range of incidents from loitering, graffiti, and vandalism, all the
way to life-threatening violence.
To help address these security concerns
a variety of checklists are available, many of which provide a holistic approach to addressing security threats. The general recommendations are:
• Clearly identify roles and responsibilities and create a designated security committee
• Conduct a security audit to identify risks
and vulnerabilities
• Create a security plan which includes
proactive physical security, to include video surveillance, access controls and weapons screening.
• Since more HoW’s are offering virtual services, implement cybersecurity proto- cols alongside physical security protocols
• Create an emergency crisis plan which includes procedures on connecting with local law enforcement and immediate safety measures should an attack occur
Of these items, new developments in AI technology are helping to assist with physical security measures at houses of worship.
A large Hindu faith based organiza- tion explored such technology as it dis- sected incidents occurring in other places of worship around the world, and worked to ensure the safety of their own centers. This organization has more than 3800 centers worldwide, with mandirs (temples) ranging in size from the smallest accom- modating up to 50 families, to the largest locations, which can accommodate 500+ families.
Each type of HoW has its own unique security needs, and even within an institu- tion the security requirements of each lo- cation can vary. In this organization, dif- ferent sized mandirs face their own unique challenges. Smaller mandirs tend to have smaller budgets, which are determined by the level of donations received, and thus are more cost-conscious and conservative in their technology choices.
Larger mandirs often have the means
to test out different technologies and strat- egies. In general, the organization has aimed to provide guidance to all its cen- ters on which foundational technology to implement, such as a VMS, so that later, additional technology can be layered on and easily integrated.
Many places of worship, including this organization, have focused on some key areas of technology as part of their physi- cal security implementation:
FORENSIC INVESTIGATIONS
Video surveillance cameras are the bul- wark of a robust physical security solu- tion. Cameras for monitoring perim- eters and people are de rigueur for many HoW’s. The amount of video obtained can be significant, so thorough review is often required to reap the benefits of the recordings and investigate events.
“Reviewing video is 100% a challenge,” said Dixit Suthar, security administrator at the organization. “It becomes time-con- suming and cumbersome. A VMS makes things easier but most lack intelligence like analytics to help cut down on the viewing time and hone in on the incident at hand.”
This is especially true for larger loca- tions, which can have hundreds of cam- eras and also many unexpected incidents, increasing the need for human inspection. Fortunately, today’s AI analytics are de-
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HOUSE OF WORSHIP SECURITY
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