What to Know About Working on Houses of Worship
by Abby Bowman
On March 12, 2026, a man drove his truck through the front door of a Bloomfield, Michigan, synagogue. The vehicle burst into flames, killing the driver and injuring a security guard.
Temple Israel is one of the largest in the nation and houses a preschool with around 140 students, which was in session at the time of the crash. The FBI referred to the incident as a “targeted act of violence.”
The Los Angeles Times reports that attacks such as this one have intensified worldwide, leaving many feeling unsafe in their places of worship. The Violence Prevention Project reports that 370 people in the United States were killed or injured in houses of worship between 2014 and 2024. 2023 was the deadliest year so far this century, with 36 incidents across 34 cities.
Increased violence means an increased demand for products like security film. As security film companies rise to meet the need, there are a few things they should know about working on houses of worship.
Know Your Stuff
Whether they’re hoping to protect a house of worship or another type of building, clients often don’t have a clear understanding of what security film can do. Rick Lerma, co-owner of A Designer Window Film in San Antonio, says it’s the window film company’s job to educate them.
“There’s a huge misconception that security window films are bulletproof,” Lerma says. “Some can be bullet-resistant, but they’re definitely not bulletproof.”
Colin Rosse, principal owner of Virginia-based A&C Glass Tinting, defines the limitations of security film even more strictly.
“I cringe a bit whenever a customer asks for ‘bulletproof’ or even bullet-resistant window film,” he says. “If the customer is looking for bullet resistance, you have to throw security film out the window and consider something like bullet-resistant glass instead.”
Misconceptions abound for anti-intrusion films as well, according to Lerma. Some customers approach Lerma’s company with inflated ideas about what security film can achieve after seeing “misleading” information online.
“There are videos out there that show someone, typically a big guy, struggling to break through glass that has anti-intrusion film installed,” he says. “The problem is, those videos typically show laminated glass with one or two layers of security film, which is pretty much the maximum protection you can get.”
If a house of worship doesn’t have laminated glass with two layers of film, it won’t produce the same results.
“It’s not just about laminated versus non-laminated glass, either,” Lerma says. “If there’s not enough frame or metal attachment to anchor the film, it won’t perform the same as in that demonstration video.”
Understanding these differences is critical, says Richard Eannarino, a managing partner of Philadelphia-based Guardian Bastille.
“Lives are on the line here,” he says. “You can’t just do whatever your client wants you to do so they can say they’ve installed protection when you know that you wouldn’t want your kids or your family members behind those doors.”
The International Window Film Association (IWFA) has issued several statements regarding window film and bullet resistance. One published in September of 2024 says that when a demonstration shows that window film is bullet-resistant, that’s often because the glazing itself without film had almost those same bullet-resistant qualities.
Decisions, Decisions
After educating customers about security film’s limitations, window film companies should also help them decide which product or products can realistically meet their house of worship’s security needs.
The amount of help a customer needs to make this choice varies. Decision-makers for houses of worship come from a wide range of backgrounds and knowledge levels, says Jeff Franson, CEO of FutureVu Brands. FutureVu operates Window Film Depot and Impact Security, which manufactures retrofit security glazing systems.
“If a dealer gets a call from a small-town pastor, they’re going to have to treat the inquiry a very specific way,” says Franson. “The pastor probably isn’t going to know anything about construction or glazing in general, never mind security glazing. The dealer should explain the capabilities of different films without getting too technical about it.”
Some buyers, including architects or contractors working with large religious groups, require a distinct level of education.
“That’s a more sophisticated buyer. An architect is good at diving into lab testing and specifications to understand the performance values of each solution set,” Franson says.
Part of helping a customer select security film includes inspecting the building where the film will be installed.
“Many security films delay intrusion by 30 seconds to a minute, but you can’t give that kind of estimate without looking at the building first,” Eannarino says.
Franson agrees that physically inspecting the building is key.
“You have to look at the condition of the frames, the gaskets, the building’s age and how thick the walls and the glass are,” he says. “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of variables involved in understanding the true performance of any security film.”
Special Considerations
The building’s age is a particularly important factor for houses of worship, which can be well over 100 years old.
“Sometimes glass on buildings like that is so brittle from age that putting security film on it isn’t even an option,” Eannarino says. “At that point, you have to consider doing another window setup or even replacing the glass itself.”
Stained glass presents its own set of challenges.
“Film isn’t going to bond to the stained glass itself because it’s too wavy,” Eannarino says.
There are ways to get around that, though.
“The customer can add a frame and clear glass in front of the stained glass and install security film on that,” says Lerma. “It depends on whether or not the house of worship has the funds for something like that.”
Rosse has seen some companies anchor film for each pane of an old window. He says that’s a bad idea.
“The wood will be blown away before anything else in a blast event, so you’ll be left with a bunch of smaller panes of glass flying around,” he says. “You’ll want to consider something that goes over the whole system instead.”
Even with some limitations, Lerma says it’s better for a house of worship to have security film than not if they are concerned about break-ins or attacks.
“Pretty much any time you’re adding security film with an attachment system, it’s going to make a big difference,” he says. “Whether it takes an extra 10 seconds or two minutes for someone to break in, that buys more time for the police to arrive or for congregants to take shelter.”
Securing Synagogues
There have been 7,773 hate crimes against Jewish people perpetrated in the United States in the last five years, according to the FBI hate crime database. Many Jewish organizations report that, at least anecdotally, attacks on synagogues have risen in conjunction with the Israel/Palestine conflict over the past several years. Several film installers note that synagogues have been more proactive about security than other houses of worship for decades.
“The Jewish faith has always been the primary religious organization I worked with when installing security film on houses of worship,” says Colin Rosse, who has been the principal owner of security film dealer A&C Glass Tinting for the past 38 years.
Worlds Collide
From parochial schools associated with the Catholic Church to elementary and preschools with their own wings of a synagogue, mosque or Protestant church, security for houses of worship often goes hand in hand with school security.
In the United States, there are approximately 5,600 Catholic schools educating 1.7 million students.
Source: National Catholic Education Association
Around 292,172 elementary and secondary school students enrolled in Jewish day schools as of 2019.
Source: Census of Jewish Day Schools in the United States by Mordechai Besser
Abby Bowman is the editor of Window Film magazine. Email her at abowman@glass.com and connect with her on LinkedIn.
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