See Something Say Something

Security is everybody’s responsibility. You may be a Guest Experience, Kids, or Production volunteer, but to some degree you are responsible for the safety and security of the people around you. At WEC, we try to create the safest environments possible for you and your family to attend and serve. We need the help of every volunteer, through security awareness, to accomplish this goal. 

The below information is intended as a source for WEC volunteer team cross-training and to some extent a certain level of volunteer team integration. We are one body of WEC volunteers although we may serve on different teams. This information is basic security awareness practices. Our objective is for every volunteer, regardless of what team you serve on, to:

  • Be able to identify suspicious activity/behavior

  • Know when/who to report suspicious activity/behavior to

Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR), first and foremost, consists of being able to identify suspicious behavior such as:

  • Unusual items or situations: A vehicle is parked in an odd location, a package/luggage is unattended, a window/door is open that is usually closed, or other out-of-the-ordinary situations occur.

  • Eliciting information: A person questions individuals at a level beyond curiosity about a building’s purpose, operations, security procedures and/or personnel, shift changes, etc.

  • Observation/surveillance: Someone pays unusual attention to facilities or buildings beyond a casual or professional interest. This includes extended loitering without explanation (particularly in concealed locations); unusual, repeated, and/or prolonged observation of a building (e.g., with binoculars or video camera); taking notes or measurements; counting paces; sketching floor plans, etc.

  • Multiple sightings of the same suspicious person, vehicle, or activity.

  • Individuals sitting in a parked car for an extended period of time.

  • Individuals who don't fit into the surrounding environment because they are wearing improper attire for the location or season.

  • Individuals drawing pictures or taking notes of an area not normally of interest to tourists or showing interest in or photographing security cameras, guard locations, or watching security procedures.

  • Loitering around potential target with no apparent or valid reason.

  • Testing security by breaching restricted areas to determine response.

Who, What, and When to Report Suspicious Activity:

  • If you see a situation that you deem as suspicious activity, you should report it immediately. 

  • Report should be made to your Volunteer Team Lead or Coach in the absence of your Lead. 

  • It will be the responsibility of the Volunteer Team Lead and/or Coach to determine whether or not to escalate the information further. 

  • What information to report:

    • Describe exactly what the suspicious activity is

    • Precise location

    • The number of people, ages, gender, and physical descriptions of each individual observed

    • Date, time, and duration of activity

    • If there is a vehicle, note the color, make, model, license plate, etc.

  • If the Team Lead or Coach deems it necessary to escalate reporting of the suspicious activity, that reporting will be made to the staff ministry manager or, in their absence, director/campus pastor.

Communications:

Communication is a vital part of any successful operation, even more so when it comes to security. Good or bad communication when it comes to security could mean the difference between life and death. Below are some key practices that should be utilized each Sunday. 

  • At least 1 volunteer per volunteer team should have a radio on them at all time (for Security, each volunteer should have a radio). 

  • All radios across all volunteer teams should be on channel 1 at all times. 

  • Proper radio etiquette shall be used at all times to include:

    • Keeping radio traffic to a minimum

    • Keeping transmissions short and concise

    • Using plain language (not 10 codes)

    • Transmission examples:

      • Kids: “Forty5 to Kids Coach, please come to my location.”

      • Security: “Auditorium Security to Admin Coordinator, we have a situation in here.”

      • Guest Experience: “Check-in to GE Coach, can you assist us with a computer issue?”

These practices aim to create communication across all volunteer teams in case of an emergency situation.