By PAUL JARVIS
jarvis@du2.byu.edu
After the string of vandalism and theft in local chapels, bishops of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraging their members to continue their determination to keep chapels secure.
'A lot of people have keys to the buildings,' said Miles Ogden, agent bishop of the church building at 900 W. 100 North in Provo. 'They must ensure that all windows and doors are locked when they leave.'
The issue of security was recently renewed because of a string of vandalism and theft of church buildings from Utah County to Las Vegas.
Orem Police Lt. Bob Conner said a 20-year-old Provo man named Jerry Shuffler confessed to the break-ins as well as forging blank checks from the churches.
Shuffler stated drug dependency as the reason for stealing from the chapels.
The church building at 900 W. 100 North in Provo was also the target of a break-in.
Jerry Ortiz, a bishop of a ward that meets in the building, discovered the vandalism and theft.
'I felt extremely violated when I entered into the office and found it all ripped apart,' Ortiz said. 'It's not my home, but it feels like it to some degree.'
He said it is necessary to have ongoing education on the local level in order to secure the buildings.
'I am ashamed to say that a degree of complacency has already set back in,' Ortiz said.
Ogden said church members need to better follow policy.
'We make sure by practice and by policy that no money is left in the building and that all checks are locked up,' he said. 'The checks are all numbered so we can identify them and know immediately if anything is missing.'
Members should report any missing item to the agent bishop of the building, Ogden said.
He said doors should never be propped open with rocks or other items so a person can return to the building.
Ortiz said the perpetrator of his building could have entered through a window left unlocked.
'People may still choose to break into the building, but we shouldn't invite them in,' he said. 'We need to make sure that members are leaving the building secure when they leave.'
Standard procedure is for the last key holder who leaves the building to lock all the doors and windows.
'You just kind of rethink the aspect of building security when something like this happens,' Ortiz said. 'Members of the church would like to think that they are not a target for this type of crime.'
The option of securing the building with electronic systems might help, but it could be difficult.
Security Consultant and Owner of Counter Strike Investigation Van Cannan said, 'You face a real big challenge when you have multiple use by different people. It would be difficult to train so many people for the security system.' Chapels are big enough that a person may think they are the last person in the building when they are not, he said.
Cannan suggests securing individual offices as a more feasible way to secure valuables.
'Offices have much more limited access and you know when they are empty,' he said.
Cannan also suggested hidden cameras as a good security measure.
'They don't prevent a break-in, but they do help in prosecuting the robber,' he said.
However, Cannan does acknowledge that cameras are not necessarily a good option for the church. He said members need to feel like they can take part in conversation and activities without worrying about a hidden camera catching it all on film.