PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The deadly Minnesota Catholic school mass shooting is sparking security concerns at Phoenix-area places of worship.
“It’s horrific. It’s pure evil, and I’m absolutely heartbroken over it,” said a security expert who spoke with Arizona’s Family on condition of anonymity.
The expert, who is a person of faith, has decades of experience in law enforcement, military and church security.
He said the tragic Minnesota Catholic School shooting that left two children dead and several others hurt on Wednesday morning is one he wants to keep from happening in the Phoenix metro area.
However, he said security for many places of worship is lacking.
“I’ve seen a wide variety of different levels of security at different houses of worship. Some have no security at all, which is heartbreaking,” he said.
He explained that some churches have a safety team made up of volunteers who are not armed. The security expert said it’s not enough to stop an active shooter.
“Personally, I would go to a church and I’d want to know if we have armed security. Again, I don’t want ‘Safety Vest Sam,’” he said.
Mo Canady, the executive director for the National Association of School Resource Officers, would go a step further.
“We need professional law enforcement officers in these roles who are not just standing guard at the door but are actually, actively engaged in this community and collecting information, getting ahead of situations that might occur,” said Canady.
Canady said most private schools claim they can’t afford school resource officers or upped security.
He and the security expert agreed that faith-based organizations must make room in their budgets for security.
“Churches are soft targets. You need to ensure that you are leaving your children and your family in a safe place,” said the expert.
The security expert also said families should ask faith leaders about their security measures and when they have them in place.
He said many places of worship only use security personnel during weekend mass and not other events during the week.
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