Be Alert

There has been a lot of unofficial chatter, and even a few official statements of concern, over the possibility of terrorist attacks in the U.S. (thank you open borders!). Quite a few of us think it is a given. Something that happened at Church yesterday makes me even more concerned.

A young male came into the Church during the service, wearing dark clothing that had the air of a delivery uniform, with one of those urban draw-string backpacks on. Under one arm he was carrying what looked like a (decent sized) cardboard box with a delivery label on it. He came in and sat down (most were standing at the time) and stayed a while.

My first thought was ‘heck of a time for a delivery’ and the second thought was ‘uh oh.’ I kept a discrete eye on him, and it turns out the friend sitting next to me was keeping an even stronger eye on him. He got up and left, and my friend went to be sure he was leaving and see where he went — which was to the church across the street.

Now, this could be entirely innocent, however… The box was more than large enough to have held a single SMG or multiple regular pistols with spare mags. It could have held one or more explosive devices (may have walked over to be sure nothing left on the floor or secured under a pew despite not seeing any indication he had tried to access the box). My friend’s thought was to be sure he wasn’t going out to arm up before coming back in. Both of us, I think, have a concern he was casing churches in the area.

Could be innocent. Could be recon. Know I’m going to have an eye out and am inclined to see about giving an unofficial heads up to some LE types.

To all of you out there: keep your head on a swivel, have a plan, and be prepared. Things are such I will be amazed if biological material does not impact the rotary impeller and soon. Keep your family and friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

UPDATE II: Someone pointed out the Idaho ISIS member, very pertinent to this discussion.

UPDATE: My thanks for the many, many good comments and suggestions. Since not everyone reads the comments, my response to a comment that might be of interest:

I’m going to treat this as an honest question, despite some doubts, and put on my teacher/instructor hat for a moment. Might I suggest that your comprehension of what I wrote is a bit off, and that it appears you not only did not read the assignment but did not do any additional reading? First, I thought I was clear that I wasn’t happy with my own response, though that could have been lost via less-than-perfect writing on my part. However, you also seemed to have missed that I wasn’t the person who followed them out the door and tried to keep an eye on them. You also seem to have missed that I didn’t write in any form about what was or was not done by the person who did follow them out beyond that basic fact. There’s a reason for that, and it is called OPSEC and the fact is neither you nor anyone else has a “need to know” on that subject. More on that in a moment, first, let’s go back to the top and cover a few points that may help improve your comprehension and/or misapprehensions. Had you fully read the post and done even a modicum of other reading, you would have noted that there might be a reason I did not attempt to follow the person as I’m not moving as well as I might like after getting hit by lightning and experiencing multiple surgeries and other delights. The fact is I’ve never been a high-speed low-drag type even before that. Cheerfully admit it, reluctantly admit that the walking stick is not always a prop (and frequently a prop), and grudgingly admit that the idea I have one more war or good battle in me may be coming from the same part of my mind that thinks I’m still 20. Currently, it clearly is not my strength, and I’m probably better as a meat shield at need though it’s not my first choice. The person who did follow is younger, fitter, and is also in a much better position to deal with the situation both within the Church and in any liaison role. Precisely why again falls under the concept of OPSEC. Speaking of which, allow me to put on my nasty spook hat for a moment, and note that your comment would actually be in keeping with someone trying to gain intel on both my Church and the people across the street. It is clearly designed to provoke, and possibly elicit an response along the lines of ‘ah my honor has been challenged and my ego hurt by some unknown internet rando so I must reveal details to assuage my honor!’ Eh, no. The conclusions you leapt to suggest much about you, but do not require much more than a shake of the head at poor “student” performance from me. Back towards educating, have you considered that regardless of potential “lone gunman” or something more organized, that they are likely to be checking to see if they were noticed/got a response? A good Boolian search would have found this post even without use of a scraper bot. Consider also that there may have been more than one purpose to the post, and that in situations like this if you aren’t hitting on three or more levels you aren’t trying. For the slow students in back, consider that if they do see this, anyone involved knows they were noticed and that people care; given how poorly most official networks function, that quite a few churches over a much wider area (nationwide even) now know to be on the lookout; given that various LE agencies/members read this site, that this is now known across far more agencies (and much, much faster) than through channels (and avoided potential “roadblocks” in the process); that it has also engendered some good discussion on security and security in depth; and, well, there are a couple of others but I will leave them as an exercise for the student as it were. Also, in the process of this, no details were provided on what levels of security exist beyond the greeter (and that some of us care) and there is a reason for that. It is also why I have avoided any discussions here or elsewhere on photos, video, or other possibilities that may or may not exist. I also note for the record that I have no idea what security is in place at the church across the street, but I do hope they are on their toes and that I hope all churches in Indy are doing the same. I will also note that I can only do what I can do, and this is part of it. As a response to others, I will note that certain suggestions remind me to suggest that legal consultations are a good idea as there are often fire regulations and other delights that need be kept in mind, and that surrounding someone in a parking lot and demanding they open packages may not be a wise move legally or otherwise (boom). Similar to why I recommend Guy Relford’s Indiana Gun Law class to anyone buying or carrying a firearm in this state, as Theodore Sturgeon (Sturgeon’s Law) was wrong and it’s not 90 percent but 99 percent of the “legal” advice (or anything) on the interwebs is crap. Something you and young mister Love should keep in mind. Again, I will admit I was not happy with some things including my own response. To be fair, however, it is not so much that I was in the white as I was and am a bit more focused on the service itself these days. None of us know the time of our departure, and while I could have 20 years left in me that could also be 20 seconds (true for all), I’m at a point in life where it behooves me to act more towards the 20 seconds and thus was more focused elsewhere. In whatever time I have left, I have that focus and I post about preparedness, current events that may influence the need for same, and try to spark discussions and awareness. I can but hope that the warning and discussions here have a positive effect across as wide an area as possible.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

40 thoughts on “Be Alert”

    1. Even more so in retrospect. At first, had thought he was known as our greeter didn’t greet him, turns out he just missed him. Not liking this at all.

  1. Even out here in the Oregon Outback(tm), one of our church deacons listens to the service via a bluetooth headset while he patrols the outside and back entrances. And while it’s not obvious, there is a lot of concealed carry here too.
    I’m reminded of one of my favorite lines from Pastor Doug Giles: “WWJD if some lunatic came into his church and started shooting parishioners? Why, he’d whip out his Glock and double tap the center of mass.”
    Situational awareness everywhere, all the time.

  2. Our church shut down the Monday near the Covenant anniversary after a threat. At a meeting I learned that there were layers of response and protection that they did not want to talk about but that would limit the time any mischief or worse was perpetrated. So stay alert, and have several armed responsders at the scene already.

  3. From Captain Obvious: Perimeter-in-depth starts at all entrances to the parking lot, with eyes-on not just the vehicles but on the sward between. Secondary placed outside front and back doors. Training, real-time ear-bud comms, and all the trimmings.

    Proven over and over, if your greeter is your first line, your fight is already inside the house.

    1. Our church has a single parking lot entrance, but the prevalence of tinted windows means we often cannot see inside the vehicle, so have to wait until they exit it to see who they are. And with some 700 per service, its hard to know everyone.

      The key in my mind is to put eyeballs on all in the parking lot, use our radios to communicate any suspicious ones, make sure they are under observation by camera and human eyeballs until they exit, and if sufficiently suspicious, have them approached and questioned by uniformed deputies on duty.

      We have two uniformed deputies, six to eight armed security team members, radio communications, full camera coverage, a medical team, and a central command post.

  4. We attended a High Mass for Easter Sunday. I found I could not become absorbed in the rite, because I was inescapably in Condition Yellow.

    Unfortunately, the Church is posted as prohibiting firearms and knives. A stupid policy when defense in depth is called for.

      1. I was just a parishioner. However, I did spot a couple of “Watchers” in the congregation. And one had already spotted me. Made me feel better. 😉

    1. The minister at the community (a rebranded Friends) church was vehemently anti-gun, to the point where he wouldn’t let the sheriff in during a fire evacuation. Those of us with CCWs never said a thing.
      When he left, the new minister mentioned firearms, and got some nods. We were a decidedly low priority target (very rural area, in a county where even the dogs might be armed 🙂 ), with a tiny congregation, so we didn’t take further steps.

    1. Catholics have felt the weight of the Left for decades, mainly for the stand against their unholy sacrament of abortion. The response has been relatively low key – but there. However, the current regime has decided to publicly hang a target on the backs of traditional Catholics for use by their unstable minions. As a result, preparations have been increasing steadily.

      It should be noted that many Catholics feel a natural kinship with our Jewish brothers and sisters.

  5. Our church locks the doors as soon as service starts. There are CC holders out in the common area to answer the doorbell in case any latecomers arrive or if a non-friendly shows up. I’m pretty sure a lot of parishoners in the sanctuary are also carrying. But then, we do have a lot of military families at my church. We aren’t playing around.

  6. So, you kept and eye on him, watched him carry a box from one church to another, and did nothing? Didn’t call 911 as a precaution? If you didn’t—-and something had happened —would you have been proud of yourself for getting Spidey Sense and still doing nothing? Seems weird to brag here that you did nothing.

    1. So that the police or sheriff could arrive in twenty minutes, cordon off the shooting scene, make entry and make the scene safe for EMS and the coroner. [If there was a shooting]

      or

      Wolfman and his sidekick watch, and when things go south, they engage the shooter, bring him eventually to room temperature and then call 911 for the coroner and county Sheriff’s shooting team.

      When seconds count, the police are minutes away.

      (Retired LE)

    2. I’m going to treat this as an honest question, despite some doubts, and put on my teacher/instructor hat for a moment. Might I suggest that your comprehension of what I wrote is a bit off, and that it appears you not only did not read the assignment but did not do any additional reading? First, I thought I was clear that I wasn’t happy with my own response, though that could have been lost via less-than-perfect writing on my part. However, you also seemed to have missed that I wasn’t the person who followed them out the door and tried to keep an eye on them. You also seem to have missed that I didn’t write in any form about what was or was not done by the person who did follow them out beyond that basic fact. There’s a reason for that, and it is called OPSEC and the fact is neither you nor anyone else has a “need to know” on that subject. More on that in a moment, first, let’s go back to the top and cover a few points that may help improve your comprehension and/or misapprehensions. Had you fully read the post and done even a modicum of other reading, you would have noted that there might be a reason I did not attempt to follow the person as I’m not moving as well as I might like after getting hit by lightning and experiencing multiple surgeries and other delights. The fact is I’ve never been a high-speed low-drag type even before that. Cheerfully admit it, reluctantly admit that the walking stick is not always a prop (and frequently a prop), and grudgingly admit that the idea I have one more war or good battle in me may be coming from the same part of my mind that thinks I’m still 20. Currently, it clearly is not my strength, and I’m probably better as a meat shield at need though it’s not my first choice. The person who did follow is younger, fitter, and is also in a much better position to deal with the situation both within the Church and in any liaison role. Precisely why again falls under the concept of OPSEC. Speaking of which, allow me to put on my nasty spook hat for a moment, and note that your comment would actually be in keeping with someone trying to gain intel on both my Church and the people across the street. It is clearly designed to provoke, and possibly elicit an response along the lines of ‘ah my honor has been challenged and my ego hurt by some unknown internet rando so I must reveal details to assuage my honor!’ Eh, no. The conclusions you leapt to suggest much about you, but do not require much more than a shake of the head at poor “student” performance from me. Back towards educating, have you considered that regardless of potential “lone gunman” or something more organized, that they are likely to be checking to see if they were noticed/got a response? A good Boolian search would have found this post even without use of a scraper bot. Consider also that there may have been more than one purpose to the post, and that in situations like this if you aren’t hitting on three or more levels you aren’t trying. For the slow students in back, consider that if they do see this, anyone involved knows they were noticed and that people care; given how poorly most official networks function, that quite a few churches over a much wider area (nationwide even) now know to be on the lookout; given that various LE agencies/members read this site, that this is now known across far more agencies (and much, much faster) than through channels (and avoided potential “roadblocks” in the process); that it has also engendered some good discussion on security and security in depth; and, well, there are a couple of others but I will leave them as an exercise for the student as it were. Also, in the process of this, no details were provided on what levels of security exist beyond the greeter (and that some of us care) and there is a reason for that. It is also why I have avoided any discussions here or elsewhere on photos, video, or other possibilities that may or may not exist. I also note for the record that I have no idea what security is in place at the church across the street, but I do hope they are on their toes and that I hope all churches in Indy are doing the same. I will also note that I can only do what I can do, and this is part of it. As a response to others, I will note that certain suggestions remind me to suggest that legal consultations are a good idea as there are often fire regulations and other delights that need be kept in mind, and that surrounding someone in a parking lot and demanding they open packages may not be a wise move legally or otherwise (boom). Similar to why I recommend Guy Relford’s Indiana Gun Law class to anyone buying or carrying a firearm in this state, as Theodore Sturgeon (Sturgeon’s Law) was wrong and it’s not 90 percent but 99 percent of the “legal” advice (or anything) on the interwebs is crap. Something you and young mister Love should keep in mind. Again, I will admit I was not happy with some things including my own response. To be fair, however, it is not so much that I was in the white as I was and am a bit more focused on the service itself these days. None of us know the time of our departure, and while I could have 20 years left in me that could also be 20 seconds (true for all), I’m at a point in life where it behooves me to act more towards the 20 seconds and thus was more focused elsewhere. In whatever time I have left, I have that focus and I post about preparedness, current events that may influence the need for same, and try to spark discussions and awareness. I can but hope that the warning and discussions here have a positive effect across as wide an area as possible.

      1. Mr. Wolf, please do not beat yourself up concerning your present physical condition and (perhaps) less ability than you’d like in responding to an in-church or near-church event. Long-time readers get it. I appreciate your advice and commentary.

        I appreciate your nod to OPSEC; that’s something that many parishes and parishioners consider these days. If we don’t absolutely need to talk about how we’d respond to an emergency on church grounds, then we shouldn’t talk. Loose lips sink ships.

  7. We had 2 young middle eastern fellows enter our parish and sit in the rear of the church. They did not participate in any of the prayers or songs, and after 5 minutes one got up without saying anything to his partner and went deeper inside the church and sat on the right side. After 2 minutes he got up and went and sat on the other side of the church. At that time his partner got up and left the church, this is within 10 minutes of the service starting. I followed the one that left the church and watched him for 30 minutes checking out, pacing off the parking lot. I was able to take his photo which was forwarded to our local FBI office, and they contacted me within a week. The Special Agent told me to contact him, gave me his cell number, if I ever saw that person again. We doubled up security, as this was definitely a recon of out church. The following week a different set of the same type of folks did the same thing at a different time of a different service. So they are here, and they are probing the churches.

    Having a lot of CCW carriers at the services is not a good security strategy. You need them to be trained and part of the in house security team. And yes, if you do need to do a meet and greet with one of these fellows, it needs to be outside, unfortunately. Cannot allow them to penetrate the interior of the Church.

    1. So they have successfully completed their prep without interference from anyone.

      1. I’m kindof curious: are you making these critiques because you do these kinds of things yourself (either professionlly or “amateurishly” (which can be better than professionally — and sometimes the distinction is blurry anyway) — and you manage to do things absolutely perfectly, so you’re in an actual position to help us be better at this?

        Or are you merely an oblivious coward who would be caught by surprise when the screaming and yelling schizophrenic kid suddenly clocks someone — possibly because the guy that got clocked was you?

        I cannot help but suspect the latter, as much as you would have us believe the former. If you were the former, I’d expect you to be giving the other commenters here the benefit of the doubt that they know what they are doing, that their efforts are always going to be lacking (because no one is perfect), and rather than attack the “incompetence” of the people here, you’d be giving them advice instead.

        Of course, I haven’t ruled out the possibility that you were the guy with the cardboard box, now engaging in psyops or even juse silly insults, trying to throw us off our defenses.

        1. FWIIW, not sure if he is a Fed, other, or just a jerk. And, yes, I might should embrace the healing power of “and” in that.

  8. Stop the guy in the parking lot and ask him what his is doing? With four or five large parishioners surrounding him?

    “What’s in the box?”….

    1. That opens you to a number of potential legal repercussions, none pleasant. Illegal restraint, assault, battery, and even kidnapping are possible charges. There is also, alas, the adverse publicity that would come from our woke media, putting a spotlight on the church and parishioners that one would like to avoid.

      Right now, given your writings on this thread, I regret that I’m not inclined to follow your advice. You might want to step back, talk with people who really, truly know how these things work, and think again.

  9. Try this. Go to a local mosque and try to do the same thing. See what happens.

  10. If LE responds to an incident, who shows up is not likely to be a highly-trained shootist. In fact, who shows up will almost never have fired his or her service weapon in a real life situation and may never even have taken it out of the holster.

    If you are a CCW holding a weapon, you are as likely to get shot at by them as the bad guy is. They will empty a magazine.

    It’s important to have someone do a situational orientation for them immediately on their arrival.

    1. Heh, true. Also, may have read somewhere that a shot to the groin, especially if they know you are aiming at the groin, can cause them to drop weapons, detonators, etc. in an attempt to cover the target (even though such is useless). If they do put their hands down, means you can damage both hands with the shot.

  11. This is why our small (about 150 average) church in Northern Colorado now has paid security outside at every service, and normally there are two or three people carrying concealed in the congregation.

  12. Have attended two churches in recent years with security plans. First one several years ago when churches became known as potential targets set up program with designated trained CCW members (local sheriff’s dept provided) who were located in the services and given specific door ways to be responsible for watching. We also live in an area with a high number of CCWs. (The congregation generally was not aware of the firearms provisions.) Classroom doors were to be locked from the inside when class started and each class room had one of those restaurant seating alarms so if there was an issue all classrooms would be alerted.

    My most recent church home locks the doors when service starts and has wired security people circulating during the service. There is armed security (CCW) and a triage team also. This security is not publicly announced, it’s just been put in place by leadership who understand we live in troubled times and can be proactive and protective.

  13. I am, I think, concerned and vigilant in services. I am unsure whether our church leadership have a plan for the main service. This concerns me. I know they do for the chirrens, as my wife serves in the nursery and they have a plan (although it’s pretty passive).

    Does anyone know a source for church security I could recommend to our leadership? Are resources available to help churches make plans, train their greeters and security, and prepare for a possible, now likely, assault by the increasingly violent predators who would target a church?

  14. The site won’t let me post a link, but search for Teen accused in Idaho Terror Plot.

  15. Great article, so sad to what this country (and world) has become! Colors of awareness: White – oblivious; Yellow – constant light awareness; Orange – something suspicious, heightened awareness; Red – fight! All talking/reasoning out the door! Live in constant Yellow, NEVER in White! It’s not IF, it’s WHEN!!

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