News

Overflow crowd hears advice on church safety

Capacity crowd turned out to hear tips from the Hendersonville Police Department on preventing or responding to violent attacks.

By Emily Stanley, Published: July 1, 2015

The slaughter of nine churchgoers in Charleston raised new questions about safety in churches.

On Tuesday afternoon, a crowd of 215 church leaders and community members overflowed the Hendersonville City Operations Center to hear a presentation by the Hendersonville Police Department on how to prevent or respond to an attack.
“How many of you honestly believe that you are prepared for a violent attack?” Lt. Michael Vesely asked. “Ninety-five percent of folks aren’t . . . It’s something that we don’t want to happen, right? So we kind of just push it to the side, and hope it doesn’t happen, and we don’t prepare for those things.”
Officers offered tips on anticipating and preventing dangerous incidents in churches. Above all was the necessity of having a plan for emergencies and always being prepared. However, the department declined to give specific guidelines for these plans, emphasizing that they need to be tailored to individual churches’ needs, skills, and resources.

Speakers acknowledged that churches face a unique dilemma when addressing safety. “As churches, our goal is to accept people in and help them out with issues,” Vesely said. The law officers placed a special emphasis on keeping children safe in church. They gave tips about childcare security and advised always doing thorough background checks on caregivers.
Other important tips included maintaining good exterior lighting and neat exterior grounds to make it impossible for attackers to “lie in wait.”
If confronted with a disruptive or violent individual in a place of worship, the officers advised that people to remain calm and not to fight or argue. The presentation sparked a heated debate during the question and answer session over whether allowing concealed-carry weapons in churches is helpful. The officers explained that the law allows for the banning of concealed weapons in certain private places, including churches, but that churches must post this rule if they want to ban weapons.
The officers emphasized that the decision is up to each individual church. However, when an audience member asked about what to do in an emergency situation, Chief Herbert Blake offered his opinion. “I think the only thing that’s going to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” he said.
Officers also stressed the importance of thorough training when it comes to using guns. Not everyone can or should use a weapon.
To report or request additional surveillance of your church, the Police Department recommends calling their non-emergency number, 697-3025. If you are outside of the city, call the Sheriff’s Department at 697-4911.