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Resurrection Anglican Church
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Privacy and VisibilityExpectations and Protections for Meetings at ResurrectionPastor George Byron Koch This is a supplement to Resurrection’s Guidelines on Touch, Respect and Leadership. The purpose of this document is to set proper expectations, and explain the protections that are in place in our sanctuary, classrooms and offices at 450 E. Roosevelt Road in West Chicago. The goal is to keep God’s people safe, children as well as adults, and also provide a productive and useful environment for work, planning, praying, counseling and more. These protections differ from the general guidelines in our previous facilities, and take into account new layouts, technology and levels of daily activity. They are spelled out here so that everyone will know how the issues of safety and privacy are handled. Because the offices are now open all day long, and into the evening on many days, and because individuals of both genders and all ages come and go often, and because it is common for just one individual to be present, or a man and a woman, or an adult and children – or any combination of these – a means had to be built into the facilities safely and unobtrusively to accommodate all of these varieties of comings and goings. Therefore, protections were designed into the basic scheme of the offices, classrooms and sanctuary, and now incorporate solutions that were not readily available to us previously. Several needs are met simultaneously: safety, privacy, usefulness and simplicity of upkeep. These happen in layers of protection and redundancy. The first layer is respectful and appropriate behavior while using Resurrection’s facilities. The Resurrection Guidelines on Touch, Respect and Leadership spell these out. The second layer is the design and layout of the offices. Every room has a window either in the wall or in the door, and these are to remain unblocked. Even if a door is closed, inappropriate behavior is discouraged by simple visibility. The third layer is video surveillance. Every room has a video camera that works both in daylight and in complete darkness, and activities in every room are recorded twenty-four hours per day, every day. Recordings are retained indefinitely, with time and date stamps. The recording is video only. Audio is prohibited because of privacy rights during counseling, pastoral consultation, telephone calls and other private and personal discussions. This multi-layer approach is designed to provide • Deterrence by making us an
uninviting target Deterrence by making us an uninviting target: The suite has signs marked, “Recorded Video Surveillance 24 Hours All Rooms” on the entrance doors and elsewhere. The identity of a perpetrator will be recorded. This has a profound deterrent effect on anyone considering endangering a child or adult, breaking and entering, vandalism or simple theft. We are an unattractive target. Protection against false accusation: Should anyone be falsely accused of theft, damage, or inappropriate behavior, the long-term recordings will show what actually happened. False accusations – on these premises – can be disproved with relative ease. Evidence for discipline or prosecution: Should there be an incident that does not rise to the level of a crime, evidence from the recording can provide a basis for discipline or dismissal. Should a crime be committed, whether against a person or property, the video recordings can be used by the police in identifying the suspect and in prosecution of the crime. The video recording equipment is kept in a locked, secure area within a locked and secured cabinet, and has power backup, should the power to the building fail or be cut off. It can run unattended for more than a year. The recordings normally just accumulate over time, and are reviewed only if an incident is reported. They are not made in order to be monitored for “suspicious” behavior. They are there to deter, and to provide evidence if an accusation is made or an offence has been committed. The video cameras also provide the benefit of being able to use the offices for regular, closed-door, private meetings and conversations, without them appearing suspicious. These are essential in normal business settings, and even more vital in a pastoral setting. The video protects the participants, while the intentional absence of audio protects the privacy of the conversations and prayers. Closed-door meetings are often needed, and they are now fully permissible; we have intentionally designed these facilities to make them possible, and also to make them safe. We should not fear privacy, confidential meetings, or closed doors, but we should insure that those present in them know that their safety and privacy has been assured. The goal is to keep God’s people safe, children as well as adults, and also provide a productive and useful environment for work, planning, praying, counseling and more. This goal has been addressed by the protections described here. |
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