Clergy Learn How to Safeguard Churches Against Arsonists

Nearly 100 clergy members gathered Wednesday morning with city fire and police officials to learn how to protect their houses of worship in the wake of the recent spate of church arson cases in the South.

While no racially motivated arsons have occurred recently at area churches or synagogues, Los Angeles police Chief Willie L. Williams said the fires “should not be viewed as something far away.”

Williams, City Fire Chief William Bamattre, Mayor Richard Riordan and others at the gathering, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, said safeguards can be taken even at smaller churches on tight budgets--and that prevention is always less costly than post-fire cleanup.

Arsonists “act against targets that appear to be vulnerable,” said David Lehrer of the Anti-Defamation League.

Officials suggested keeping shrubbery trimmed, windows locked and having greater security investigated. Even inexpensive motion-sensing lights help deter would-be arsonists, they said.

“Evil loves the darkness,” said J. Wesley Beebe of the First United Methodist Church of Compton.

Fire inspectors are also in the process of visiting every one of Los Angeles’ more than 2,000 churches and synagogues to make safety suggestions. “It really hasn’t been a Southern California problem,” Deputy Fire Chief Tom McMasters said of the church burnings. “We want to keep it that way.”