GATEKEEPERS IS GOING WEST...
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An Announcement from Chuck Chadwick.....

 

As I mentioned in the Christmas Newsletter, "Gatekeepers" is going national. Here is what was behind that announcement and what has developed since.

 

In the spring of 2013 I had some conversations with heavy hitters of the church insurance industry who had taken notice of what was happening with the Gatekeepers Program™ in Texas. They wanted more dialogue on how it could work as a national initiative.

 

We decided on a date in August for a round-table meeting. I wanted my good friend, Carl Chinn, from the great state of Colorado to  sit  in  with me; so he came down to add his perspective on the subject. The insurance representatives flew in from other parts of the country, bringing their perspective. Here is the summary narrative of their national perspective;

  • Increasing numbers of churches are accepting the responsibility of intentional security. As one of the insurance professionals said in our meeting, U.S. churches have reached a "tipping point" where church security is now here to stay.
  • Due to the donation culture of churches, most of the people who serve in that capacity are volunteers.
  • An increasing number of those volunteers are carrying firearms.
  • While there is training out there, it varies from church to church. Some churches train better than others, but there is no recognized standard of training for what a volunteer serving in a worship environment should be credentialed with.
  • While insuring armed security operators is now done by underwriters intending to stay in the game, there are low monetary caps to that liability coverage due to little experience history.
  • It is time for a national initiative to bring standards to this unique and growing arena.

The "Gatekeepers" Texas model has had great success in accomplishing security standards in Texas supported by a state curriculum and certification model similar to those found in other regulated states. Texas is one of the most restrictive states in the nation when it comes to security operations in a church, especially armed security. Through the unique "Gatekeepers" model, there are now many churches in Texas with state licensed, consistently trained and qualified armed security operators; all under the "Gatekeepers" corporate covering and insurance.

 

We have decided to take the "Gatekeepers" model national. As the "Gatekeepers" Western Regional Director, Carl Chinn is heading efforts in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and all states west.

 

Carl has now opened a licensed Gatekeepers Security Services, LLC™ branch in Denver, Colorado. Towards that effort he has begun to recruit Colorado trainers in each major area who can promote the "Gatekeepers" standards of training, certifications and qualifications he and I have developed.

 

We are looking for vanguard churches in each state. Call or write us if you want to learn how the Gatekeepers Program can work in your state.

 

You can reach Carl at (719) 357-1630 or Carl@GatekeepersSecurity.com.

and Chuck at (972) 712-8818 or Chuck@GatekeepersSecurity.com.

 

We look forward to bringing you updates as this national initiative moves forward.

 

Highest regards and God bless,

 

Chuck Chadwick 

 

February 2014
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Charles Chadwick, President/Founder
National Organization of Church Security and Safety Management
(972) 712-8818
In This Issue
THINK ABOUT IT 
by Carl Chinn...

New Directions

 

Following our hostage situation at Focus on the Family in 1996, I began writing and researching on the subject of faith-based security. That research included searching for other faith-based security operators. The operators were rare, and companies dedicated to the subject even more uncommon. I found Crisis Consulting International very early in that search. They remain high on my trusted list, but their focus is overseas missionary work.

 

It took me much longer to find anyone dedicated to faith-based security operations in the U.S..

 

Google appeared on the scene and I began using it to research faith-based incidents and search for church security support. The first company I located on Google that was dedicated to faith-based security inside the U.S. was Chuck Chadwick and his Gatekeepers Alliance.

 

By 2005, I was part of the development team at New Life Church as we pioneered our security program. Then we had our shooting in 2007. Not long after the shooting, I contacted Chuck and told him of the research I had done on deadly force incidents at churches. We finally met in Houston in 2009, and developed a mutual trust and regard.

 

In Texas, Chuck had developed an effective and successful model to equip churches with consistently trained, qualified and credentialed security operators. I flew down to Dallas to meet with Chuck and men from the church insurance industry in August of 2013. We heard the issues and concerns of church security from the insurance perspective. We heard Chuck explain in detail how the Gatekeepers model could answer those concerns. Among the many unique things the Gatekeepers Program does, is the way it provides injury and liability coverage for volunteer and paid security operators.

 

At the conclusion of that meeting, those men representing the insurance industry asked Chuck to take the seasoned Gatekeepers Program™ national. Chuck asked me to help him launch that initiative.

 

I weighed my response very carefully -- it's a tall order;

  • Churches and their volunteers don't have surplus budgets for this kind of thing, but the Gatekeepers Program™ will, of course, have associated costs. While we see the need for standardized and consistent training, qualifications and liability coverage -- will churches see it the same way?
  • Is the cost /benefit ratio right?
  • I am dedicated to the subject of enhancing security in churches and other faith-based organizations. There are only so many hours in the year (and left in my life for that matter). Am I willing to dedicate a significant portion of that time to this specific effort?
  • Will it be accepted in states where there are no laws requiring security licensure?

I have decided to join Chuck in this effort.

 

I will remain independent as far as this website, personal speaking engagements, and non-Gatekeepers related faith-based security support. However, a significant part of my time for the foreseeable future will be used in launching this program throughout the western states, as Chuck works on the eastern end of the U.S. I am starting right here in Colorado.

 

For more information on the program, please see Chuck's announcement of the roll-out posted this week on his website at www.nocssm.org and monthly newsletter.

 

Think About it; 

  • Activities worth doing are worth doing well. Security at a church or faith-based organization is different from security at a manufacturing facility, retail store or military base. It is a very unique culture we serve. Chuck and I have years of experience dealing with that culture in the specific realm of security. We hope our combined experiences can benefit others.
  • To be charged with the safety and security of the church is an awesome responsibility. Responsibility that carries with it the need to "study to show ourselves approved[i]" in this important activity.
  • I have no desire to scare churches into a program by waving flags of potential legal and other risks. I just want the program to manifest fiscal and operational common sense.
  • Out here in the west, there was a time when a man who rode high in the saddle, and had an ability to talk and shoot straight got the job as town Marshall. As time passed, our culture defined that role into what is now considered the law-enforcement profession. Private security is going through the same growing pains of professional accreditation, consistency and recognition. Let's lead the way on the Faith-Based side of the industry.

[i] paraphrase of II Timothy 2:15  


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