I am presently building a free training program for a Church Security/safety Team (armed and unarmed). The training will cover firearms and self-defense, conflict resolution, first aid, communications and developing a specific security/safety plan. The area I am lacking is civil liabilities and legalities regarding a volunteer, non-paid team in Florida, specifically Sumter County. I have already recommended the church provide an insurance like USCCA for those members to protect them in an incident. I am looking for specific information regarding citizens inserting themselves into an incident and how a self-defense claim will apply. I would also like suggestions for quarterly or monthly training for these teams. I am already working on a stop the bleed, CPR/AED, developing a qualification course, etc. Any help will be appreciated.
George - if you are a USCCA instructor, you will have access to their Church Safety and Protecting Your Congregation mini course as well as the courses on Legal Use of Force. You should also be able to reach out to your local USCCA Account Executive to find some recommended legal resources in your area. If you are not an instructor, I would recommend you find your closest USCCA certified instructor in the area and use them as a resource to assist you.
Excellent job being proactive!
USCCA membership is a great fit for this.
I also would like to suggest the below. Members of USCCA do get free shipping there and you can get a better price on books if you call to order
This is an excellent idea with the open border crisis. We have no idea who most of the folks flooding across the border are, or what their intentions are. Churches certainly would rank high on the list of āopen and vulnerableā soft targets.
@BRUCE26 and @George_R_Florida
This is an excellent video (and jaw-dropping). I also liked this one on awareness of sleeper cells
I am looking for specific information regarding citizens inserting themselves into an incident and how a self-defense claim will apply.
For understanding the legal nuances of self defenses law, I strongly recommend you and all team instructors read two complementary books:
The Law of Self Defense Principles by Andrew Branca (available free for only shipping cost as linked)
and
Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self-Defense, 2nd edition, by Massad Ayoob
Try to get every team member to read, also. (Remember, each can get a free copy of the Branca book!)
Next, Branca has two video courses available that every team member should complete, as DVD or streaming or both (different costs):
Law of Self Defense Level I Core Course (10 hours)
and
Level I State Supplement for your state- Florida.
Moving back up to you and your instructor team, complete Brancaās advanced course for the Law of Self Defense Instructor Program.
A great live class from Massad Ayoob is his MAG20 / Classroom ā Armed Citizenās Rules of Engagement, which he teaches around the country. Get yourself to that course if possible (Mas lives in Florida now, so nearby class should be available. )
The above responds to your request as asked. Now, an added suggestion.
The top expert in the country on what works during an active shooter event is Ed Monk of Last Resort Firearms Training. A retired Army officer, former high school teacher, and active part time police officer, he has been analyzing and teaching about those events for over 15 years. Just about every other lecture, class, or program on active shooters cover what to do before, or what to do after, or give the overly simplistic advice to āRUN-HIDE-FIGHTā during. Ed focuses on what actually works during.
I suggest picking a series of videos made from his classroom instruction and online interviews on the topic for your monthly meetings. See him by searching for āEd Monkā on YouTube.
For a more well organized complete set of his course, subscribe to the Active Self Protection App online or with the free app. There is a monthly or annual subscription fee for this one.
Good luck!
Some more resources:
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Our church trained with the local department of emergency management. They came out and did Stop the Bleed, CPR, an overview of emergency operations, and active shooter training.
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The local department of emergency management gave us access to the Safeguarding Houses of Worship app. Itās not open to the general public. You have to get it through your local agency. Safeguarding Houses of Worship | ILEAS I havenāt used it in a while so I am not sure if itās active and still being maintained.
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https://www.sheepdogsafetytraining.com/ This is what started my journey. But itās mainly a seminar that is motivational in nature rather than the practical stuff you are looking for.
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Church insurance companies can be a huge source of info for church security teams. In particular, Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company has a ton of resources on their website. Our agent went to company headquarters in Indiana. The higher ups took them to the range for fun. If you havenāt vetted your insurance coverage with your insurance company you should. Brotherhoodās security team coverage was very inexpensive. https://www.brotherhoodmutual.com/resources/church-security/
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Tactical Defense Institute offers a course in Faith-Based Armed Security. I have not taken this particular course, but have taken other courses there which likely had some overlap. Thatās a long way geographically from where you are. Faith-Based Armed Security - TDI Ohio
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https://www.youtube.com/@churchsecuritytraining and https://www.worshipsecurity.org/
If I think of anything else, Iāll come back and post.
Hire and pay for a local lawyer for advice.
Thanks Roy. I take the instructor course March 8 and 9 for USCCA. I will reach out to them as soon as I finish the course. I joined USCCA in 2020 after retiring from Law Enforcement and doing my 1st LEOSA shoot and never really used the resources until recently. Just finishing all the available online training and Iāve liked the resources so far.
@George_R_Florida , @Roy90
Welcome to the family my brothers and we are glad you are with us,
We donāt refer to ourselves as a security team we are a safety team, We also have quarterly meetings and have scenario based trainings at our church.
Late, but welcome aboard. I have to say Iām loving your idea. Iām also hoping you get the needed information needed to carry out you plan. Have you tried contacting another church that provides security? I go to CCV here in AZ, they provide security but it actually looks like a police officer or a Sheriff. Anyways maybe another church that is providing security could help you as well. Just an idea.
Good luck on your awesome venture.
@George_R_Florida and @Roy90 Welcome to the community and great that you have interest in providing training for a Church Security/Safety Team with already plenty of great information provided by the community with lots of hope that you will succeed.
Probably no 1A pr 2A issues there. Also, probably no downside for numerous ATF and FBI agents sitting through church services to see if they had a security team.
George,
Are you taking the instructor class with Jerry, if so Cindy and I will see you then. We have a class of 4 and will be combining the class with Jerryās 2 students.
Bill