Behavioral threat assessment units

This support continues with the release of the following operational guide, Behavioral Threat Assessment Units: A Guide for State and Local Law Enforcement to Prevent Targeted Violence.

With the creation and distribution of this guide, NTAC offers principles and best practices to state and local law enforcement agencies as they work tirelessly to prevent future tragedies.

Unfortunately, many communities lack the structured systems to receive, evaluate, and respond to these reports in a way that reduces the likelihood of a violent outcome.

The framework presented herein is the latest NTAC offering intended to support the violence prevention efforts of state and local law enforcement agencies.

The steps that follow describe how agencies can adopt the principles of the Secret Service model to proactively identify and intervene with those who intend to carry out acts of targeted violence in their communities.

These steps are not intended to be prescriptive, but rather offer a scalable blueprint that can be implemented by agencies varying in size, structure, and resources, all of which share the Secret Service’s mission of preventing targeted violence.

The steps presented here are meant to guide state and local law enforcement as they establish behavioral threat assessment units (BTAUs) specifically designed to assess and intervene with individuals identified as posing a risk of violence.

Once complete, the unit will be positioned to receive and manage information, including bystander reports about individuals displaying concerning behaviors in the community.

The BTAU will then conduct an assessment to determine if the reported individuals pose a risk of violence, and if so, develop management strategies to reduce the likelihood of violent outcomes.

In doing so, the BTAU will work alongside its partners to prevent the injury and loss of life that research continues to demonstrate is preventable.

STEP 1: | Establish a Behavioral Threat Assessment Unit and Policy STEP 2: | Create Operational Protocols and Procedures STEP 3: | Identify and Process Reports of Concerning Behavior STEP 4: | Gather Information to Assess for Risk STEP 5: | Develop Risk Management Strategies STEP 6: | Promote Continuous Improvement and a Culture of Prevention

Early intervention is at the core of a BTAU’s involvement in managing concerning behaviors, with an emphasis on guiding the outcome of the situation to an end that does not result in violence or other criminal behavior.

In doing so, BTAUs must operate with an understanding of individual rights protected by the U.S. Constitution, including freedom of speech.

The BTAU should ensure that other components within its agency (e.g., criminal investigative units) are aware of reports relating to their respective missions.

Likewise, the BTAU should ensure that reports and information it receives that relate to other geographic jurisdictions are shared with those jurisdictions’ public safety personnel. For example, if a BTAU receives information about an individual of concern in a neighboring state, that information must be shared expeditiously with law enforcement agencies in that jurisdiction.

Sharing information with relevant parties can help the BTAU build and strengthen relationships both within its agency and with public safety partners in its community. This can foster an environment of trusted, proactive communication that may benefit the BTAU in its operations, including when seeking information for behavioral threat assessments or assistance in managing individuals of concern, and when responding to imminent threats of harm as described above.

Preventing targeted violence does not end with the establishment of a BTAU.

NTAC recognizes that many of the steps in this guide depend on the resources available. As such, the steps within this guide are not intended to be prescriptive but rather scalable to agencies of varying sizes and resources, all with the shared mission of preventing targeted violence in their communities.