As a former police officer in the Chicago area, I worked a lot of security details for extra money over the years. In fact many of us with small children on small police salaries supplemented our income solely on off-duty security details.

They ranged from carnivals, religious organization events, high-risk industrial or corporate security, or when there was a particular threat against an organization. We had a great, dedicated group of officers that took these second jobs very seriously and provided, what I think, was excellent security at a very reasonable price.

Working in different parts of the country over the years I have witnessed how police departments address the subject of their officers working off-duty security quite differently.

In fact I was at a large church in the Midwest several weeks ago and was speaking with a police officer and Safety Team member of the church. I asked him why he wasn't armed (because the church wanted it), and he said his department did not allow it. In fact he went on to state that in that jurisdiction the police department would not even allow local police to work off-duty security details at all.

This did not totally take me by surprise; I have seen various State Police and Federal Agencies that also completely restrict their agents and officers from working in a security capacity while off-duty.

But I have to believe that these law enforcement agencies are the exception; most I have seen, or personally dealt with, allow their personnel to work off-duty security details, either in uniform or in plain clothes. In fact in a couple instances where I hired off-duty police personnel the department allowed them to bring their marked police cars for an added presence. In one instance in Florida, the Sheriff's Department, from which I hired two Deputies for a religious event, sent their K-9 Unit which was great for our security. In one very high-profile event I coordinated, one of the main off-duty police officers was the head of the area Bomb & Arson Unit, which was an exceptional person to have on-site.

I believe off-duty police personnel are a great, added benefit to many churches that do not have the resources to have their own armed security team. These are trained officers with police powers who are already equipped to deal with whatever happens in your church. I have had detectives, SWAT Team members, K-9 Officers, and Command Staff work for me over the years.

Not only does hiring off-duty police from your area give you an immediate added advantage of trained, experienced personnel right away, but it develops that personal relationship with the police in your area, which is of tremendous benefit overall.

Now, there are definitely pit-falls, which you have to be careful, so here is a quick list of things to ensure before you hire off-duty police as security (and this is not a complete list, if I miss anything, please write me):

1. Ensure that any police you hire have permission from their department to be there

2. Get a letter from the police department that the personnel you are hiring from are in good standing with the department (I was once surprised to find a police officer I hired was actually on suspension by his department)

3. Get to know the officer before hiring them; make sure they have the right demeanor and "spirit" to work in a Christian environment

4. Have a specific lists of "Do's and Don'ts" for the officers and ensure they read the document before they work so there is no misunderstanding as to what is and is not expected

5. Make sure you are paying the "going rate" for the police in your area; there is no "set rate" and sometimes this is negotiable

6. As always, make sure your insurance company knows you are hiring armed off-duty police officers

7. If the officers you are hiring are not from the police department that services your area, make sure that your police department knows you are hiring police from outside their area so there are no surprises if they have to respond to your church (or hard feelings - it is always best to go to your local agency first, trust me)

8. Make sure the officer(s) working carries and monitors your church's radios (hopefully you have radios)

9. Understand that most police officers are subject to being called away from their off-duty detail if they are needed by their agency; this is especially true of officer who have specialty positions such as SWAT, investigations, etc.

10. Make sure you are clear with your accountant and the officer as to what they will be paid and how they will be paid; you may have to issue the officer a tax form at the end of the year if they make a certain amount

Utilizing off-duty police should not be your whole security program, but they can add a great deal to the security and emergency response, as well as the deterrent factor of having them in place.

In Christ,
Jeff Hawkins
Executive Director

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Comments from last week's article:

"Good article about Senior Pastors and church security. I am the administrative pastor of our church. We are not real big, about 1500 per week. Our senior pastor is very concerned about security but as you state in your piece he has not time to address it. So he leaves it all up to me, which is fine. So if a church does not have a staff person to oversee security issues it will probably not get done. I believe that is the key, the senior pastor knowing it is important enough to find someone to take over security. Keep up the good work" C.K.

"Our pastor is very committed to the security of our Church.We could not ask for a more committed man than our pastor. God Bless" J.D.

"I think the problem for most pastors is that when this is brought to them, they don't have anyone to head it up. Most church ministries fight over the same 12 people that are actively involved in volunteering in the church, and to start a new ministry (for that's what this is) takes a person who is willing to volunteer to head up the ministry, and recruit and train the their team. When I first approached our pastor, it was about a smaller precaution (getting permission to carry a concealed firearm in the church - this was right after the shootings in Denver in 2007). As I talked to him, I asked about emergency planning that the church had, and when he said they didn't have any for safety/security, I asked if I could write a proposal. After I wrote the proposal, he said that it looked good, but the only way it would work would be to have me head it up. I prayed about it, and accepted. We presented to the board, and it was passed unanimously. Since then, I've been building my team, and we've had pretty good success. But I'm convinced that when parishioners bring this up to their pastor, most often it is brought up as "the church should do this", which the church doesn't have the infrastructure in place to do. If more people brought it as "can the church do this if I head this new ministry?" I believe more pastors would be more open to it. Just my experience and .02" B.D.

"Yes, Pastors ARE pulled in DOZENS of different directions...and each of them proclaims that IT is both essential and urgent. One MUST prioritize. THAT SAID...I am the Sr. Pastor of a small church...and I read your newsletter weekly" D.K.

"Your article really hit home. I've experienced the same frustration as others re our church's (Pastor's) support of security. I devoted 4 years to studying, planning, implementing and leading a (volunteer) church security team. Although we were able to put some practices in place, I found the support inconsistent. So, I'm not serving on our security team any longer, due to the frustration and lack of support. Yet, when something happens, I'm one of the few who has the awareness and training to respond. I'm still committed to educating and helping churches establish security ministries. So, I'm asking God to show me an opportunity to serve local churches, in association with an organizations like yours. Maybe if my church sees other churches addressing security through education and training, they'll come around. God bless you for the work you do." R.G.