Editor's Note

Sacred Security

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • January 01, 2018

At the time of this writing, the country is still mourning the 26 people killed in the shooting at Sutherland Springs Baptist Church just outside of San Antonio, Texas. The incident, which occurred just weeks after the Las Vegas mass shooting, has been deemed the most deadly mass shooting at an American place of worship.

Within 40 days in 2017, more than 80 families mourned the lives of those lost in unnecessary violence on soft targets including the attacks on a Las Vegas outdoor concert and the Texas church shooting. Every time an incident like this happens, the same response follows: we are shocked, we point fingers, we blame, we even ask, “How could this have happened?” Then we forget.

This is what is fueling the fire of the deranged people who decide to incite violence on unsuspecting concert-goers, worshipers and school-aged children. It is a game to them as they wonder who can create the most chaos.

In our cover story, we discuss the Sutherland Springs Baptist Church shooting and how securing sacred areas, like places of worship, is a delicate balancing act.

With each incident, it is up to church campuses to review their policies, find holes in their security and move forward with a plan that keeps their congregants safe.

This article originally appeared in the January 2018 issue of Campus Security Today.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

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