The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned Catholic dioceses of a threat of “extreme violence” against churches following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v Wade decision.
DHS has warned U.S. Catholic Dioceses regards information about the “Night of Rage” supporting an activist group known as Jane’s Revenge. DHS warns that these attacks could take place throughout the country and that the group called for such acts to begin at 8 PM on the night of the Supreme Court Decision.
SPECIAL ATTENTION:
Churches should be extra vigilant and make sure safety and security measures are put in place. Church staff and volunteers should have extra staff and volunteers on hand over the next couple of weeks to help support security operations. If your church has a Safety & Security Program, make sure your members are informed about the heighten threat level and have a security plan in place to address the threats.
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
In many circumstances suspicious activity can be detected before an aggressor participates in the actual event. Churches should consider:
What does your staffing look like at the largest service times?
Does your church restrict access prior to and during services and events?
Do you have a Church Safety and Security Team?
Identify “clusters” of small questionable events that occur within a short amount of time on your church property and take a proactive action.
Many times, if someone’s ill intensions are detected in an early stage of an event they may move on and look for a “softer” target.
Communicate with your local law enforcement about suspicious subjects and incidents.