A break-in at a Raleigh church in January forced the church to take stronger measures to secure its facility. As a result of that story about Korean First Baptist Church in Raleigh, Raleigh Police shared these tips for churches:
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Install adequate exterior lighting.
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Encourage removal of visual obstructions.
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Control landscape to eliminate hiding spots.
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Conduct a walk-through at the conclusion of all events to ensure windows and doors are locked; restrooms and closets do not have persons hiding in them awaiting everyone to leave the church premises.
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Fence off problem areas and keep doors locked when services or events are not being held in building or grounds.
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Use quality commercial dead bolt locks on exterior doors using mechanical or electrical locks.
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Limit the number of keys issued and duplicates to members. Limit access to facility, designate that only church staff may unlock/lock facility.
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Secure valuable equipment such as sound system, musical equipment behind dead bolted, solid core doors. Limit access to these areas to the appropriate people.
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Create an inventory of property and engrave the church name and identification number on each item. This makes it easier to identify and recover if stolen.
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Reduce number of entrances/exits and control access from fire/emergency exits.
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Have members at or in area as often as possible to reduce number of trespassers.
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Make it known in the area that the building is being watched 24/7.
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Always deposit offering into local bank the same day it is collected. Do not hold in church office to be deposited on a future day.
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Avoid printing offering totals in church bulletins/newsletters for anyone and everyone to read.
If an incident has occurred:
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Don’t let a one-time incident occur without addressing the issue.
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Train individuals in crime reporting.
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