Church Tragedy Brings Together Local Security Integrator, Law Enforcement Community
On June 17, 2015, a 21-year-old white supremacist named Dylann Roof shot and killed nine members of the Charleston, S.C., Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, following a prayer service. The event not only shocked the community and the nation, but it galvanized the 200-year-old historic church and many other AME churches and buildings around the area to re-evaluate security technologies and procedures that might help protect against future incidents or copycat attempts.
A local security integrator, Charleston Security Systems, had for many years been cultivating relationships with local law enforcement, even encouraging both its residential and commercial customers to consider facing one of their security cameras towards the street to help the police solve crimes. Within 24 hours of the shooting, they received a call from Emanuel Church, on the recommendation of the police, said Dean Rommes, owner of Charleston Security Systems.