Archdiocesan safe environment director on addressing parish and school safety

Paul Iovino had a 25-year career with the St. Paul Police Department. Now, he’s the director of the Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He’s been with the archdiocese for the past four and a half years.

For an episode of “Practicing Catholic” set to air at 9 p.m. Sept. 12 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, Iovino shared with co-hosts Leah Heselton and Father Tom Margevicius, that one responsibility of his office is working with all parishes and schools in the archdiocese as a consultant on issues of personal safety, physical safety, mandated reporter issues and other safe environment issues.

“The individual prayers have certainly been important, but having been a part of some of the vigils, having been a part of some of our internal Archdiocese Catholic Center (ACC) prayers as a community with our staff, and praying in communion with our brothers and sisters here in the building has been extremely meaningful and I believe (to be) very, very important in this moment,” Iovino said.

Iovino said that his office has been taking care of physical security needs in the archdiocese since the Annunciation shooting Aug. 27. The office has worked with Randy Gray, the security director at the ACC.

“One of the things we do here in this office is we liaison very closely with local law enforcement as well as our state and federal partners and then (we work) to get something out to the parishes and the schools,” Iovino said.

Iovino said it’s a delicate balance between providing an appropriate level of security and making people feel afraid of stress.

“Some people want to see a marked squad in a uniform when they pull up, and that provides comfort for them,” Iovino said. “And then there’s other people that sometimes creates some undue stress or panic. … Do you need law enforcement? Do you need security? Do you need armed security? Do you need a soft uniform? … Or is it really just kind of not having any visible presence out there, but knowing there’s a lot of other practices that are in place?”

Iovino recommended that schools and parishes maintain a relationship with local law enforcement agencies. He also highlighted that Hennepin County and the St. Paul Police Department have shield programs that provide real-time information about criminal activity.

Also, Iovino said, the Security Managers Information Group (SMIG) was created in January of 2024 and meets every two months to collaborate and share information between archdiocesan security partners.

“I certainly understand that it’s personal for all of us,” Iovino said. “All of us are reeling from this along with, again, our Annunciation community. I think allowing some of that space is certainly prudent and appropriate. I also encourage those principals and those pastors who are leaders, certainly, and get to make final decisions, (to) lean into your leadership team. … Lean into law enforcement. And while we’re all here and we’re not going anywhere, your local law enforcement is your best partner in this right now at this moment because oftentimes they do look at your plans. They will create space and time to meet with you. If you give them an opportunity or invite them, (they will) come in and train with you and train in your space and get to know your staff and your floor plans.”

To hear more from Iovino about school and parish security, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Sept. 13 and 2 p.m. Sept. 14.

Also on the show, Monsignor Martin Schlag, a St. Paul Seminary professor, shares Church teaching on how work, justice and society shape the world today.

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.