New Security Upgrades Part of Effort to Prevent Incidents

Dennis Roberts, administrative director of education and child care, monitors one of the church's new security cameras from his office. The cameras are located throughout Triad's campus, including this one near one of the sanctuary entrances (below, a close-up photo of the camera).

By Wayne Thompson

With a few keystrokes on his computer, Dennis Roberts can see a lot of Triad's campus without ever leaving his office.

Roberts and other staff and members of Triad's Safety and Security team now have an even wider view, thanks to the addition of six new security cameras which bring the church's total to 16.

It's all part of an effort that began last June with the formation of a Safety and Security team to improve the church's preparedness for disasters and security incidents.

Overseen by Don Beck, the deacon over security-related aspects of outreach, the group began its work last June, producing a security awareness video series featuring then Kernersville Police Chief Neal Stockton.

The team bought two-way radios, recruited and trained volunteers, developed evacuation procedures and began patrols of hallways and parking lots, including augmenting its volunteers with an off-duty police officer.

Because of his 32 years as facilities manager at Forsyth Country Day School and experience with its extensive security measures, Tim Shoaf, Triad's facilities maintenance coordinator, has overseen the camera purchases and installations, made other suggestions and helped guide the team's work.

Don Smith, who leads the group of about 30 volunteers, said all the efforts have been noted and appreciated by members and visitors alike.

"I know when I'm sitting in my service, it's reassuring to hear the guys over the radio out walking the halls and reporting in regularly," he said. "Our whole goal is to be eyes and ears and prevent problems before they happen."

Smith said that the cameras—which provide 24/7 digital security and record data at each of their locations—already have recorded 10 incidents. Most are unidentified people entering the building or trying to open locked doors after hours.

"To show you how they're working, we had a guy come in one Sunday that we noticed," he said. "He told me he wanted money and something to eat and wanted to talk to the pastor. I told him, 'The pastor is preaching but invited him to listen to the service.' He said, 'I believe I will go outside and check with my brother' and then we saw him get in a new van with another man and drive off.

"People notice when you're alert and are much less likely to take actions when you have visible security measures in place," Smith said. "It's a good deterrent."

To make even better use of the cameras and ease the burden on volunteers, the team met last week to consider setting up a central monitoring station. The station would allow the team to see a regularly rotating series of video from all the cameras—allowing them to monitor the entire campus and cut down on manpower needs.

"If you have a problem in a certain area, then you have a person sitting there monitoring it with a radio who alerts a person on patrol over the radio to go there," Smith said. "We won't have to have as many people walking the halls because we can now see more of the campus."

Preventing incidents involving children is a key priority, since security experts say one of the biggest risks is abductions that can arise from custody disputes. That's why the team has given Children's Pastor Tim Gerber a radio that Gerber and K.I.D.S. Church volunteers can use to quickly summon help.

Shoaf said that the team is exploring other upgrades, such as cameras team members could use to scan and zoom in on specific areas of the parking lot, and other ways to make the campus even more secure.

"We've been taking a phased approach, with this most recent set of cameras being phase two," he said. "We've already come a long way. Not long after I came here, the first thing we did was change the door locks because with the locks we had then, anyone could take one of the keys and have copies made at a local hardware store. That can't be done anymore. Now, with our new cameras, I can even be on my PC at home and monitor the campus."

In addition to security equipment upgrades, the Safety and Security team also has focused on responding to fires and other emergencies. That effort, led by Boyd Watts, has included presentations to adult Sunday School classes and nursery coordinators about evacuation procedures. Reminders in worship services and a bulletin flyer also are planned.

Meanwhile, all the team members continue to improve their own knowledge. They'll gather April 10 in the multipurpose room for a security seminar presented by Applied Crime Prevention.

One security tip many members with concealed carry permits might not be aware of: concealed weapons cannot legally be carried on school grounds and must be kept off the campus weekdays while Triad Baptist Christian Academy and Preschool are in session.

Related Link:

• New Video Series Kicks Off Enhanced Response Plans for Security, Fire and Weather Issues 
  (June 15, 2009)

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