Report page 35

When reports of concerning behavior are received, the BTAU must be prepared to triage the information quickly and accurately with an initial focus on identifying and responding to imminent threats to life.

In emergency situations where an imminent threat to life exists, mitigation of the threat takes precedence over the initiation of a behavioral threat assessment.

For example, if coworkers report that an employee showed up armed to a meeting at which the employee expected to be terminated, then an immediate law enforcement response should be prioritized over a behavioral threat assessment. In such a scenario, the focus is on mitigating the physical threat and protecting the safety and wellbeing of everyone present.

A behavioral threat assessment should take place only after the imminent risk is alleviated.

Therefore, BTAUs should have established protocols for responding to reports indicating an imminent threat to life and should define at what point a behavioral threat assessment is incorporated into the process.

Part of the BTAU’s initial processing of reports involves confirming jurisdiction and sharing information with the appropriate internal and external parties as needed. It is important that any information that may assist in protecting public safety is not unnecessarily siloed within the BTAU or the agency.

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.

After triaging reports for imminent threats to life and confirming BTAU jurisdiction, the BTAU must evaluate whether the reports and information received are relevant to the unit’s mission and if the behavior described warrants an assessment.