Security Objective Components
Hope Washington
CJS/250 Introduction to Security
03/10/2013
John Adams

Security Objective Components throughout I will give a basic explanation regarding what security measures I would have implemented into violent scenarios where churches along with its followers had fell victim to the violent attacks of individuals who shot, burned and planted devastating bombs that had taking the lives of many and ruined the lives of those who survived.
I believe the component that deserves the most attention overall in the listed environment's would be that of the physical security feature. The components that I consider less pertinent for these particular environments during a vulnerability assessment would be personnel security, information security, and interdepartmental dependencies. My reasoning for removing personnel security from the list is due to the minimal likelihood events like these would occur on a regular basis and pose a risk. Hiring security personnel or a law enforcement officer to monitor-guard a church during service is unrealistic and extremely cost-effective. Moreover, churches maintain the majority of their order of operation with the assistance of donations from members of the church and normally these funds help pay for utilities, food, and in some cases, the salaries of priests, pastors and other religious leaders. Implementing an information security feature into these environments would also prove in effective and non-cost efficient. Each scenario illustrates the assailants target was not intended for financial gain, but rather due to a political or personal vendetta. So, installing a security system designed to protect critical information, such as alarm codes, safe combinations, and other important documentation would have done no good in any of the giving situations.
The first step in addressing security is to form security committee dedicated to studying the topic and ultimately, recommend options for the facility. If your congregation has a safety and security team currently in place, conduct a threat and vulnerability assessment for the property. You may want to obtain input from additional congregation members who have specialized experience in the field, such as those with backgrounds in law enforcement, the security industry, the military or emergency management (Spacek, 2008).

Once the committee assessment is complete, then the next step would be to come up with a security draft plan and have the leadership to go over it for consideration. Some of the members could be of assistance to help with the plan, especially if they are in the field of law enforcement, security or military. The goal is to identify threats early and respond as soon as possible. Combine a well trained staff with security enhancements such as cameras and physical locks, and this could be the difference between life and death. There are some other options that could be considered for the security plan: Lockdown/evacuation procedures, equipment needs, protection for the pastor, how to deal with disruptive individuals, and most important communication with the congregation and staff.

Malls make such obvious high-value targets that it's difficult to grasp why they haven't been hit up until now. Shopping malls are America's marketplaces, constantly packed with people, with uncontrolled entry, and openly vulnerable to any given form of attack. Mall security is almost exclusively unarmed, with little training in dealing with firearm threats. Shopping Centers/Malls generally come in one of two broad configurations; enclosed contiguous malls and strip malls. Both configurations have special needs from a security perspective. However, to a greater degree, the location of either category of shopping center is a primary determinant as to how much security is sufficient. When determining a reasonable standard of care for how much security is adequate is a difficult imprecise task. With enclosed malls, because of the finite points of ingress and egress, the ability to somewhat control, and more importantly, potentially monitor access, is enhanced. In other words, when circumstances dictate the need for elevated security for special circumstances, it is easier to pull it off in an enclosed mall as compared to a strip mall shopping center. The level of criminality in either strip malls or enclosed malls is to a large degree a reflection of surrounding environs. This means that security programs must be reflective of the surrounding threats in the neighborhood.

Effective mall security programs must reflect a partnership between private security and local Law Enforcement. Those law enforcement considerations may include the average frequency that police squads cruise the mall property. However, it also must include consideration of a worst case scenario response time. We have found that small town and suburban police departments are much more willing and able to partner up with malls than police departments in large major cities. It is not that large city police departments do not want to get involved; it is more a logistical problem because they are stretched so thin. The answer to the question: "How much security is enough?" must be based on facts, not speculation. Before the first security officer is hired or the first CCTV camera is mounted, it is advisable to conduct a professional and objective security assessment of the property, including the surrounding neighborhoods. Lacking the foundational platform that would result from an effective security review, there is a reasonable chance that a crisis management derived security program will look like a patchwork quilt. Security programs that are improperly derived often lack cohesiveness and a unified sense of purpose. Under optimal conditions, all the components of the security program must be integrated so as to produce a result where the sum of the parts is greater than the sum of the whole.
How much is enough? The answer to this question is much more difficult in the absence of a security assessment. The security assessment should produce a cost effective solution that blends the use of security personnel with the effective use of technology. Good security is also a participative sport in that all mall employees and tenants must participate for the good of the greater whole.

Reference Page:

Journal of Physical Security 4(2), 1-9 2010

Hawkins, J.A. (2010). Crimes against Christian organizations in the United States. Christian
Security Network. Cincinnati, OH.