Shortly after this incident I was called to train three different churches at one location in Orange County, California. On Saturday, November 18, 2017 I taught approximately 30 ushers and church security officers (both armed and unarmed teams). With the help of a good friend and Reality-Based Personal Protection instructor (a police officer in the area) we taught them how to do proper bag searches, how to read behavior coming up to a check point, and what to do if paraphernalia or weapons are found while conducting the interview or bag check. In one scenario I had a young man try to sneak in a Guy Fawkes mask and a small noisemaker. Not every scenario is what I call “The 100 Ninjas scenario,” (scenarios that are only loaded with action and impossible odds) and I wanted to see if such a mask would be of concern to my new students. Fortunately, the mask did alert the security agent, but he needed some guidance on the next steps, which I gave to him and all observing. As you know, a Guy Fawkes mask is worn by those associated with the activist and hacktivist group Anonymous. If a person has this mask, coupled with a noisemaker, it can only mean trouble for a church, and so the man was denied entry.
I then taught the ushers and security team members how to talk to a disruptive person, which is illegal in California, and how to remove him or her if they continue their unacceptable behavior. However, not everyone cooperates. Therefore, I taught how to survive a surprise knife attack. I taught my students the same techniques I taught to the world’s elite police and military units: German counterterrorist team GSG9, the Israeli Police Academy instructor cadre, Brazilian G.A.T.E., the U.S. Marshals, the Bulgarian Secret Service, et cetera. The things I taught were portions extracted from my Knife Survival course.
The last part of the training day was dealing with active shooters. Here’s some free advice for any church or synagogue, and that is to always have someone posted on the exterior to see who is coming in. If the Sutherland Springs church would have had at least one pair of eyes outside, and a radio in hand to warn those inside, the outcome could have been a lot different. Having an armed team ready to encounter the gunman, and then the odds really change. As the NRA (National Rifle Association) states, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” I firmly believe that.
As the world gets increasing more violent, Reality-Based Personal Protection provides the training people need to avoid and survive crime and terrorism.
BE A HARD TARGET
