Internal and external agency referrals

BTAUs must establish avenues to receive reports of concerning behavior in the community, including internal and external agency referrals and bystander reporting from the public.

Without clear channels for reporting, BTAUs may miss opportunities to identify and intervene with individuals of concern.

A BTAU should be a known, internal resource for all agency personnel and should provide clear instruction to all agency employees on the types of information that should be referred to the unit for assessment.

For example, if a patrol officer is dispatched to conduct a welfare check and concerning behavior is identified as a result, the officer should know to report the concern to the BTAU for an assessment.

Successful prevention requires all agency personnel to have familiarity with the program.

In-service training opportunities designed to educate all members of the agency on the internal referral process can enhance clarity, improve consistency in implementation, and help build capacity across the agency.

Agencies may also choose to establish certain automated internal referrals that will initiate an assessment.

For example, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) Threat Management Division has identified criteria for internal law enforcement reports to be automatically routed for review by PCSO analysts for possible threat management follow-up. These criteria include: • evidence of targeted/planned violence toward people or property; • direct or indirect threats of violence; • physical or verbal intimidation (e.g., bullying); • contextually inappropriate comments about harming others; • stalking; • arson; • animal cruelty; • fixation on mass murder, weapons, or violence; • fixation on hate groups, terrorist activity, or extremist material; • suicidal statements with an articulated plan and threats to others; • statements regarding revenge for perceived injury or grievance; • statements regarding a quest for justice; • statements regarding a desire for notoriety; and • statements regarding a desire to solve an unsolvable problem.

Similarly, a BTAU should be a known resource for partner agencies and organizations in the local community.

BTAUs will have to receive and respond to reports of concerning behavior submitted directly from other law enforcement agencies, workplaces, houses of worship, and schools.

Agency outreach can begin simply by hosting meetings between the BTAU and partner organizations. During the meetings, the BTAU can explain who they are, the purpose of behavioral threat assessment, how agencies can contact the BTAU to report individuals of concern, and what happens after reports are received.