Welcome Home. Here, Us, Now.
A space for all of us seeking what's real and sacred in a world that rushes past the soul.
Welcome Home. Here, Us, Now.
Captain Briggs Part 1
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We sit down with Captain Kory Briggs, our director of safety and security, to talk about how disciplined training and steady leadership create real safety on our campus. Kory shares how 9/11 shaped his call to serve, why security must stay prepared, and how we can set firm boundaries while still helping people find resources.
• Kory’s path from 9/11 to the Marine Corps and continued service
• Why safety and security remain essential in today’s world
• Leadership under pressure and earning respect through professionalism
• Handling conflict with firm rules and fair enforcement
• Shifting tense encounters toward help and available resources
• Why training matters including a trauma-informed approach
• Staffing realities and what “enough security” looks like
• Texas DPS security levels explained including Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4.
Welcome And Meet Captain Briggs
SPEAKER_02This is the first part of a two-part episode, an interview with Captain Corey Briggs, our head of security. Welcome home. Hear us now, a space for all of us. Seeking what's real and sacred in a world that rushes past the soul. I'm Eric Engelman, volunteer at Union Gospel Mission in Tarrant County, and with me is my co-host, president, and CEO, Charles Wolford. Good morning.
SPEAKER_01Good morning, my friend and my brother. It's so good to see you as always, and looking forward to our time together today. And I must say that I think that we have a treat in store for our guests today. So looking forward to jumping in and having some incredible conversations. If I could, I would take some uh some executive privilege here in introducing introducing to some Corey Briggs. Corey, welcome to the Welcome Home Podcast. Thank you. Thank you. Uh what uh the audience may not be able to see, but what you can hear uh via your ears is Corey Briggs is uh uh uh a dapper don. You can't see him, but he's always coming clean, as I would say in other contexts, Eric, I would say he is clean as Clorox. He always wears a suit. Um our neighbors know him by his professionalism and always well he doesn't wear white all that much.
SPEAKER_02No, it's not.
SPEAKER_01You know, it's it's just always dapper and clean. So we appreciate his level of professionalism and what he breathe.
SPEAKER_02He walks fast, I know that.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. Yes, I do. His presence is known. Let's say that. Let's very much say that. Uh well, Corey serves as our director of safety and security here at Union Gospel Mission. Let's just jump right in. He comes with a plethora of years of experience, military, having served in many different capacities, as keeping our nation safe, but also our communities safe in his world of um of protection. So, Corey, if you wouldn't mind giving us a brief rundown, a little bit about your history from your military background and then what you've done in the area of safety and security, because I must say you make us all feel safe every day here at Union Gospel Mission, and we are so grateful for that.
Veterans Day And A Life Of Service
SPEAKER_00Right. Thank you. Thank you. It's my pleasure to be here. Uh, first off, it's Veterans Day. So uh naturally a man of service, uh, much like my father, uh, several of his brothers, you know, we thank our veterans for all they do, uh, continue to do for our country. So uh happy Veterans Day to everyone.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's worth an applause. We have some new features here. Let's do an applause to that. Let's hear that, Eric. All right, here we go. See, there we go. See, the range of works. Yes. Uh Corey, thank you for your service to our country and all for all of our servicemen and women. So we are so grateful. Thank you for acknowledging. Amen. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so you know, just uh jump to it. Uh very passionate about what I do, safety and security. Uh, you know, a little uh funny story about me, 9-11, when that hit, changed the world. Uh I sat in my college dorm, Prairie View AM University, Go Panthers. Go Panthers.
SPEAKER_02Playing in the SWAC championship soon.
SPEAKER_00But, you know, it really inspired me to serve. What can I do for my country? I refused to sit here, watch this on TV, and just do nothing. So I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps August 16, 2002. I became a Marine, served proudly for over 12 years, wanted to continue my service in some capacity. I joined the Army National Guard, where I was uh participant in several different hurricanes, particularly Hurricane Katrina. Got to serve my hometown of Beaumont, Texas. If anyone knows where that is. Of course. Southeast Texas. Uh so that was a great moment. Father of twin sons who are now at Xavier University. So we're proud of them. Great baseball players, much better than I ever was.
SPEAKER_01So you both of your sons are playing baseball at Xavier University? Yes, sir. Really? And what what positions do they play?
SPEAKER_00Uh shortstop Caden uh Cameron, I think is uh one of the most dynamic catchers I've ever seen. Is that right? So it's amazing because they're about 5'9, yeah, 130 pounds, but the kids got tenacity.
SPEAKER_01So, you know, well, shout out to Caden Cameron, and they you have a proud papa sitting here uh giving you all kudos. Hopefully, you all know how proud he is. Just the he lights up when he mentions your name. So very good. That's good to hear. Thank you, sir.
From 9/11 To The Marine Corps
SPEAKER_00Private security is what I've done for over 20 years, some capacity, either as an account manager, security officer, security uh executive, personal protection officer. Served on the border, Texas Mexico border, as a uh officer in charge, personal protection details for our command in general. So, you know, protection is something I do well. Security is not going anywhere. You know, it is big business. When I say big business, you know, people need protection. Things are unsafe. You see it on the news, active shooters, schools, different uh areas, you know, all across the country. So you will never stop needing some form of security. And you know what? I I'm just passionate about it. I love it. Safety and security is very huge for me. Uh it's part of my life. You know, I tell my wife all the time, who's an educator, uh, over 10 years, I'm like, hey, when you go to Walmart, make sure where you park. You know, are you looking over your back, you know, who's around you? It's just something I do well. And I love to inspire people. I love to mull, uh, which I think we have one of the best security forces around uh here at Union Gospel Mission Terran County. Uh so I'm just really excited about that. I think military and security, you add that together. Uh, and much like my father would say, discipline. Yeah. You know, stay disciplined in all you do, and that's something I try to carry on. Well, thank you for that again.
SPEAKER_01We want to just acknowledge your um gift to us at Union Gospel Mission. Uh, one of our core values, uh I just wanted to make sure that I was spot on with regards to um the goal that we have here at Union Gospel Mission, our core values, one of them is protection. We felt that part of being a part being an instrument of God's divine providence here at Union Gospel Mission and being impactful in our neighborhood, we wanted protection and safety to be one of our core values when we were as a team thinking through that. We even painstakingly took the time to make sure that we hired the right person, the right candidate, because it's one thing, Corey, to be the individual who's responsible for enforcement, because enforcement can sometimes be very heavy and it has to be firm, but it also has to be fair. And one of the gifts that you bring to us is I am grateful to how you handle and manage so many of our neighbors who sometimes are not as kind, it's not as nice. The number of times that you probably have gotten called out of your name or some choice words were shared probably are endless. Tell us a little bit about when you practice your profession and you're keeping everybody else safe. Where did that come from as far as what because we we as a core value, we believe not Psalm 91 is part of who we are, uh and uh you exemplify that as far as protecting us. So talk a little bit about where where did that come from from you and how you actually practice what you do.
Security Mindset In Everyday Life
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. I can do all things through Christ whom strengthens me. Yeah, uh it's actually a challenge coin that I give out to my officers who are doing exceptional. Okay. I r I believe leadership, you know, it started, uh the Marine Corps molded me to be a leader. Okay. You know, as a young corporal, I I led a squad in Iraq as a as a young man, not really knowing what to do, kind of hit the ground running. So, you know, leadership I I think is important to have the appropriate, you know, people look at security a lot of different ways, you know, from your mall cops to your warehouse, you know, and they get a bad name a lot of the times. I like to think we've earned our respect in this community. Absolutely. And a lot of folks, you know, as you alluded to, you know, call me the detective, the FBI agent, the, you know, hey cap, you know, and it yeah, there's a lot of challenging days. There's a lot of days where, you know, we wear different hats. You know, I'm finding myself mentoring uh young people on the street, I'm coaching, you know, I I have to be hard, you know, and strict. Hey, these are the rules and regulations. Uh, but what I think you, Doc, have inspired us to do is really come at it with uh, what can I do to help you? Maybe, you know, I see you every day and we're having the same discussions. Maybe let's change those discussions into do you know about our resources? Do you know what can help you? So we're not going toe-to-toe. It's you versus Cap, you know, every day. Cap tells me to move, I move, I come back. Uh so I think being able to inspire my team to do the same, I think it has worked. You know, it is a process, obviously. We've made a lot of progress, but really that's just who I am. You know, I love helping people, I love inspiring people. Something new I've tried is our young adults coming into the program, 18 to 21. I'm having mentoring sessions with them. Obviously, I'm familiar with a lot of recruiters in the Army and and all around. I have personal relationships with individuals who could help these young men uh really have something to be passionate about, understand that there's a greater purpose, which I found, you know, back in 2002. So really that's the core of my being. I'm proud of that. It's something I try to model for my own kids, being young males and you know, this society. I I want them to be productive citizens, which prairie view, by the way, we say we produce productive people. So that that's something I try to live my life by. Another plug for prayer view. Very good. Proud.
SPEAKER_02Did I tell the one about how I met Captain uh Corey?
SPEAKER_01You didn't tell it online, but we'd love to hear that.
SPEAKER_02Okay, good. I I met Captain Corey after a recent chapel service. I volunteered at uh at the chapel, which is real close to our front door. And uh so I cracked a joke uh after he was checking the seats, and uh, he didn't laugh. He's he said it wasn't because it wasn't funny. Uh he was just doing something else.
SPEAKER_00Wow, wow, wow. And I won't let that one go, huh?
SPEAKER_02I I I will now. There we go. I I beat it to death, I'll I'll admit. You know, I was uh head usher at a messianic congregation. The ushers were armed and I didn't really have to concern myself with it. But when I walk, you know, with my wife, sometimes there's a roving dog or two, and we carry sticks, and I've touched a dog on the jaw with a stick, and that's it.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_02But by having the stick, conversations that I don't want to have turn out to be short. Uh sometimes to get our point across.
Firm Rules With Real Help
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Absolutely. So, Corey, let's talk through when I travel to other Citigate networks, so just for our listening audience, we participate in the Citigate network, which is made of 320 missions, and without fail, one of the top topics that regularly comes up has to do with safety and security. And you have the extreme. I think uh in measurement of those three hundred and twenty missions, uh many of them have been fascinated by the resources of our commitment where you and the team that you've assembled. And some people would say, Oh, that's overkill, and others would say, We wish we could. What's been your perception with uh the new uh attention to safety and security? Similar to what Eric just mentioned with congregations and uh congregant care facilities like ours. We we were we heard one of the missions recently that in one of the missions a gentleman was killed by another resident. And so what's your take on what's enough, what's not enough? How do you make the balance between too much and not enough?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, right. So just my experience, you know, over 20 years doing this in different environments, from you know, a team of two officers up to a team of fifty. What we have to remember is this society, things will continue to happen. There will continue to be active shooter events, there will continue to be uh, you know, worries for our businesses, our churches, you know, because again, evil is out there. We know this. There's a lot of good people out there, but evil is definitely out there. So we must prepare, we must train. That is why I've assembled a staff, I think, uh, who is committed, who's dedicated, but also big part trained. You have to be trained. And for a lot of us, there really can be no overkill. I think we have the amount of staff we need to get the job done. I need at least two to three officers every shift. I need someone watching my back. As the captain, you know, I I'm obviously qualified and trained. Many of my supervisors are armed, level three security officers. We can get into kind of, you know, what the dynamics of that are later, but these are folks that are training on a range. You know, I now have an in-house instructor on my team that can actually certify people and weapons. Really. Uh so I think when you add our collection of we have a couple of military veterans, folks who've been police officers, folks who've been in security for quite a while, you add that, and that's all ideas that's coming to my table saying how we can be better. And I think our uh organization is better off for it. Yeah. Uh when I compare myself to uh, you know, other teams in the area, maybe in the uh the city, uh maybe in the nation, I'm always looking where can we what can we do to get better? Yeah. And I think we're on the right plan. You know, we're we're staffing for what our organization looks like. Now, with that said, we're only growing. So we have to look at that too. Where are our areas where someone will want to attack? You know, and mental health, as we always talk about, is a crisis today. And I think a lot of what we deal with uh in in many different situations is mental health based. Uh so getting that training, which you know, we went through a uh a trauma-informed class, that's something I've never seen before. I've been in the business, as I said, 20 years. I've never seen a security team go through a trauma-based class, which was excellent because I think a lot of the times we don't look at it in that light, in that mental health uh aspect.
How Much Security Is Enough
SPEAKER_01So yeah, and and what what's interesting, what we're so grateful for is because for those of you who are listening, if you've not had a chance to visit our campus, we also are in the same neighborhood of many other service agencies who provide uh a variety of different services for our neighbors that are unsheltered or not. Uh what we regularly hear because of the work that you've done, Corey, is our people feel safe on our campus. And if they are not eligible to enter into our housing program because of a number of different reasons, something that they've done themselves, they may be what's called red flagged because uh they have not been on their best behavior for whatever reason, and they may have uh had to spend some time and time out, there it'd be whatever. But what's regularly said about Union Gospel Mission of Terran County is that they feel safe, and some of them will huddle themselves around our neighborhood and in community because they feel safer on our side of the street because of Cap and his team. So that's been very intentional, and we're grateful to you for providing that. Let let me go a little bit deeper because not everybody, Cap, understands the levels. You you say one, two, three, four. What is the what are those levels when you mentioned you have officers that are level three or two? Could you walk us through what those levels mean, please?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, one of the things when I came here, we were not licensed by the state of Texas to practice security. We were called Courtesy Patrol, which is a wonderful name. Uh, you know, definitely courteous.
SPEAKER_01We were pause by uh that that's a fun name. It didn't it didn't give anybody any pause to think of not coming over here. So we you you're very kind in your words. It was a nice name.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, very nice title. And again, it's nothing wrong with that. Lots of agencies do utilize that title. I think when we start bringing in the security words and the licenses, and you know, people start getting a different feel. Okay, all right. I I kind of understand what they are. So let's break it down. Uh, one of the the number one challenge was I said, I cannot be in the organization. We don't have people licensed. Yeah. Now I'm licensed, nobody else is, that's a problem. All right, because Cap's not here 24-7 as much as we want them to be. We do want you here 24-7. We could we can make one of these bedrooms available for you to keep it on the fourth floor, right about you know, when uh we had to freeze before I stayed in the office all day.
SPEAKER_02So so Texas has like DPS levels. I know they've got four levels, but you're talking about some other levels, right?
Texas Security Levels Explained
SPEAKER_00No, no. Department of Public Safety, our In Texas. Yeah. Okay, good. Yep. Yeah. So yeah, level two to level four, uh, you'll you'll hear these terms. So we don't have a level one anymore. You go straight to level two, which I'm qualified to teach that course. Uh we just taught it to one of our officers, Quentin Harris. Um he was new to security, but he was a U.S. Marine, so he already had the you know the background uh to show us what he got.
SPEAKER_01So could you why did they eliminate level one? So it was it just not relevant to him? Yeah, it's not relevant.
Part One Closing
SPEAKER_00Level two essentially is level one. Okay. So they went straight to that. It's basically paperwork in a class. Gotcha. You you take a class, we go over laws in the state of Texas, uh, and you pass a 50 question test, you know, which you need a 70% on. Okay. Uh so that qualifies you as a level two non-commissioned officer. Okay. What a non-commissioned officer is, they cannot have a firearm, uh, but they can have other gadgets such as uh OC uh spray, uh handcuffs, you know, things of that nature. Now, I do still require that you have those certifications. So with me, anything you hold, you're still gonna be certified on. It's just something for myself to ensure you know how to handle that if you had to. Level three is where you jump into your arm security. Uh those are my individuals you'll see on staff. They wear a firearm, uh either a nine millimeter or a 40. I'm not gonna get into all the weapons, but they have to qualify on it. They qualify on a range uh from an actual licensed school uh where they have to score a certain amount. So the folks that carry a weapon are trained to carry that weapon, along with the other things like baton, uh, OC spray, uh, some of them have tasers, which uh ironically, you don't need a license in the state of Texas to carry a taser. Any of us could carry a taser. Uh however, I still require they get that training. Again, it's just to ensure our officers are qualified and know what they're doing if they ever have to uh wear the or use the uh device. And then of course, level four, which you may look at me and you may uh see that I'm a level four. Level four is a conceal carrier is generally uh people like myself in business suits. Uh we uh offer protection to special individuals.
SPEAKER_02That's the end of the first part of our interview with Captain Corey Briggs.
