Types of Violence and TAMS For School Resource Officers

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Before The Bullets Are Flying! First let s back up and look for proactive approaches to mitigate the effects of Active Shooters and other violent offenders. I promise that before the end of the day we will answer your question, What do I do if the bullets are flying Lets just first set the stage.

Types of Violence? Affective or Predatory 4

Affective 4

Predatory

Lazy Predatory

School Shootings 1992-January 2013 387 Shootings Nationwide Resulting in 493 Deaths Source: www.stoptheshootings.org Accessed 01/05/14

Remember Your Tool Box?

FBI Typologies of Violence When considering prevention strategies we must recognize that all threats are not the same. The prevention and mitigation strategies must therefore be specific to the threats. What are these three categories?

Type 1: Workplace Violence Type 1 workplace violence acts are those committed by criminals who have no other connection with the school. Type 1 workplace violence perpetrators enter the location to commit other crimes such as robbery, rape, homicide. The school offers a pool of victims. (3)

Type 1: Workplace Violence Violence by criminals otherwise unconnected to the workplace accounts for 80% of workplace homicides. The motive is usually theft. The criminal is usually armed with a weapon.

Type 1: Prevention Strategies Prevention strategies for Type 1 workplace Violence incidents focuses on physical security measures. CPTED, communications, alarms, guard force. (3)

Type 2: Workplace Violence Type 2: incidents typically involve assaults on staff by a student, customer, or others receiving service. The victim is typically performing normal tasks. Many of these employees are in inherently dangerous occupations such as police officers, security officers, and mental health workers. (3)

Type 2: Prevention Strategies Prevention strategies for Type 2 workplace violence focuses on several elements. Physical Security Personal Security Policies Response

Type 3: Workplace Violence Type 3: Workplace violence incidents are those directed at co-workers, supervisors, or managers by present or former employees. This co-worker turned criminal may offer warning signs of future violence. The chance for observation prior to the act is greater than in Type 1 or 2.

Type 3: Prevention Strategies H.R. Policies for handling hiring, discipline, and dismissal. H.R. Policies for responding to behavior that may indicate future violence. Training to recognize such behavior. Physical Security- CPTED Personal Security- Verbal and Physical Deescalation.

Type 4: Workplace Violence Type 4: Workplace violence are those incidents committed by someone who doesn't t work or go to school there, but has a personal relationship with an employee or student. Examples: Abusive spouse, former spouse, or other relationship that has a violent element attached

Type 4: Prevention Strategies H.R. Policies for responding to behavior that may indicate victimization. Training to recognize such behavior. Physical Security- CPTED Personal Security- Verbal and Physical Deescalation.

References 1. Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care & Social Workers, OSHA 3148-01R 2004 (Public Domain Doc) 2. Violence, Occupational Hazards in Hospitals. NIOSHA. No. 2002-101 (Public Domain Doc) 3. Workplace Violence, Critical Incident Response Group for the Analysis of Violent Crime. FBI Academy, Quantico VA. (Public Domain Doc) 4. Violence Risk and Threat Assessment, J. Reid Meloy, PhD. Published by Specialized Training Services. 5. Occupational Violence, Centers fro Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/violence 6. Violence in the Workplace, NIOSH, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ violrisk.html

*Review* What is Work Place Violence? Workplace violence ranges from offensive or threatening language to homicide. It is violent acts (including physical assaults, and threats of assaults) directed towards persons at work or on duty. According to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSHA)

What Brings Us Here? According to Bureau of Labor and Statistics There Are: 800 Homicides 2 Million Americans Injured In the Workplace Every Year!

Can it happen here? There have been 18 School Shootings in the State of Tennessee since 1994. According to: www.stopthedhootings.org

Violence Violence is a process as well as an act. Violence does not occur in a vacuum, often the culmination of: long developing, identifiable trails of problems, conflicts, disputes, and failures. Source: NIJ Threat Assessment: An Approach to Prevent Targeted Violence, July 1995

Violence According to the NIJ researchers, violence is the product of an interaction among three factors: 1. Individuals who takes violent action 2. Stimulus or Triggering conditions -That lead the subject to see violence as an option or way out. 3. A setting that facilitates or permits violence, or at least does not stop it from occurring. Source: NIJ Threat Assessment: An Approach to Prevent Targeted Violence, July 1995

Control Vector All human behavior including violence is exclusively centered around the need to establish or re- establish control The percep=on of the loss of control o?en precedes violence. (Cawood and Corcoran: Violent Assessment and Interven=on)

Prevention is Key! If you study cases of targeted violence people don t just snap, there are most often red flags or leakage. The problem is that no one person gets to see all of the red flags and does not have the opportunity to connect the dots. Sounds familiar?

Prevention and Mitigation Threat Assessment and Management Team (TAM Team) is a multidisciplinary team that is responsible for the careful and contextual identification and evaluation of behaviors that raise concern and that may precede violent activity. The early identification of these red flag behaviors enables organizations to prudently take appropriate precautionary steps to prevent targeted violence from occurring. Source (The handbook for: Campus Threat Assessment & Management Teams)

Threat Assessment Teams The threat assessment process is not, by default, adversarial in nature. The threat assessment and management process, where possible, attempts to help people, not punish them. Indeed, if the team is informed early enough, it can get involved long before an individual may have committed any wrongdoing, and prevent such incidents from ever occurring. Source (The handbook for: Campus Threat Assessment & Management Teams)

Threat Assessment Teams n The Threat Assessment Team is NOT designed to predict violent behavior. n The T/A gathers information from many sources and tries to gauge if this person appears to be on the pathway to violence, and if so, what can be done to change the direction.

Threat Assessment Teams NIJ best practices: Three core functions of a TAM. 1. Identification of a potential perpetrator 2. Assessment of violence posed by the perpetrator at a given time. 3. Management of both the perpetrator and the victim Source: NIJ Threat Assessment: An Approach to Prevent Targeted Violence, July 1995

Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams Central Location for concerns Identify persons of concern Initial screening of concern /information Conduct triage of imminent vs. investigation Conduct inquiry Make Assessment Development management plan Monitor case

The Gunman Just Snapped? This is usually the first press conference. Then further informa=on always comes to light. People don t just snapped they go down a Pathway to Violence.

Case Study VT Shooter Leakage or Red Flags 1) Cho s Roommate and Suitemates: Stopped asking him to go places with them after he pulls out a knife in a coeds room and started stabbing the carpet. Stopped asking him to dinner because he never spoke. Cho would call his room from phones around campus and ask to speak Cho s stating that he was Cho s twin brother.

VT Shooter Leakage 2) Creative Writing Professor: Cho was uncooperative and disruptive in class Wore reflective sunglasses and hat pulled down. Took pictures of female classmates from under his desk.

VT Shooter Leakage 3) Crea=ve Wri=ng Classmates: Some stopped coming to class because the essays that Cho read out loud to the class were so violent and graphic.

VT Shooter Leakage 4) Chair of the English Department The crea=ve wri=ng professor reported these incidents to the department chair. 5) Reported to Administrators by the English Chair. Various administrators concluded although disturbing it was not a direct threat and referred the case to the counseling center.

VT Shooter Leakage 6) Campus Care Team: English professor agreed to tutor Cho privately. Care Team did NOT refer Cho for counseling. There was no follow up or case management

VT Shooter Leakage 7) Student pursued by Cho: Female student made a complaint to campus police. Cho was stalking her, showing up at her room, wearing his trade mark sunglasses and hat pulled down and told her his name was ques=on mark.

VT Shooter Leakage 8) Campus Police First Contact: Advised Cho to leave the girl alone and reported him to VT Judicial Affairs. 9) Resident Advisor: Was alerted by Cho s roommate that he had found a large knife that belonged to Cho and threw it away.

VT Shooter Leakage 10) Counseling Centers first contact: Cho called to make an appointment but never showed up. 11) Judicial Affairs: The assistant director was no=fied of Cho s stalking and odd behavior but the Care Team was never contacted.

VT Shooter Leakage 12) Second Female Student Pursued by Cho: Disturbing Facebook pos=ngs and references to Romeo and Juliet. She reported it to the campus police. 13) Campus Police Second Contact: Police told Cho to leave the female student alone.

VT Shooter Leakage 14) Suitemate: Reported that a?er the second mee=ng with campus police Cho sent him a text message that he might as well kill himself. The roommate reported this to the police.

VT Shooter Leakage 15) Campus Police Third Contact: The police were able to have Cho commibed for observa=on overnight. 16) Cho was ordered by the court to go to outpa=ent counseling at the university. 17) Cho kept one appointment and stopped going, no one followed up on Cho missing appointments.

VT Shooter Leakage 18) Cho Took Another Crea=ve Wri=ng Course: Cho wrote an essay about being alienated from the rest of the campus and was going to carry out a killing spree. Other students described Cho as the kind of guy that may go on a rampage.

VT Shooter Leakage Cho also had difficulty in middle school and was diagnosed with depression and referred for treatment a?er wri=ng and essay about carrying out a Columbine style aback. No one at VT abempted to obtain background informa=on Cho s behavior.

VT Shooter Leakage The last leakage was in September of 2006 and the shoo=ng took place on April 16 th, 2007. Cho Killed 32 People Cho Wounded 25 People Cho Killed himself

Do People Just Snap? Most experts agree that targeted violence is rarely spontaneous. People with a real or perceived grievance will: 1. Come up with an idea to do harm. 2. Develop and plan 3. Develop the capacity to carry it out 4. Carry out the plan

Pathway to Violence Ref: Calhoun and Weston Implementation Preparation Planning Ideation

Can Targeted Violence Be Prevented? Most experts agree that many (but not all) targeted violent acts can be prevented if we are able intervene on the pathway to violence at an appropriate point. Violence is a dynamic process, it is not trying to determine if a person is violent but rather determining under what circumstance the person may become violent.

Components of Risk Target Setting Triggering Condition Individual

Behaviors Not Profiles The TAM Team assesses behavior not profiles. It is not the trench coat but rather the behavior of the person in the trench coat.

Coopera=on and Collabora=on The fusion approach

Does the Person Pose a Threat? Not did they make a threat. Do they actually pose a threat. If the answer is yes then move forward

The Vic=m What are the vic=ms percep=ons. What are the vic=ms fears. Do they understand the process is management of the threat, rarely is it elimina=on of the threat.

The Gift of Fear By Gavin De Becker Gut Feeling Intuition Street Smarts Sixth Sense Get the book Victim Perceptions

Early Recogni=on and Interven=on is Key Early repor=ng of concerns Early assessment Early implementa=on of a management plan Recognize the pathway early enough and the chance of a posi=ve outcome go up.

Easy and Mul=ple Methods of Repor=ng The repor=ng system must be easy It must be varied It must be adver=sed It must have support

Mul=faceted Response Suspect Victim Environment

Primary Focus is Safety This may mean that prosecu=on is not the best response. Expulsion may not be the best response. The best response is the one that manages the threat in the best possible manner.

Who should be on the TAM Team? People that are willing HR Senior Management Mental Health Professional (If available) Legal (If available) Security (Be careful if it is contract security)

Training The TAM Team needs to be trained. They need to understand the confiden=ality of the process. They must be trustworthy. How o?en should they meet?

The Process The TAM Team is no=fied of a concern or concerns. Conduct and ini=al screening: Is there imminent danger? Contact Security or Police. Secure the threat vic=m Secure the threat loca=on

The Process Conduct and initial screening: Is there an Imminent threat? NO Triage Conduct Interviews Review Records Review any and all available history Must decide if appropriate to contact suspect?

The Process Are there real concerns? Yes Conduct full inquiry Open a case and decide if law enforcement, security or a threat assessment consultant needs to be brought into the process

The Process Are there real concerns? NO Document and close the case Have the case file available if further informa=on develops.

The Process Are there real concerns? Yes A?er full inquiry make an Assessment with all of the available informa=on and the use of one or more of the available assessment tools. Mosaic Cawood / White Assessment Grid VRAG WAVR- 21

The Process The Assessment Results No Threat Are they in need of help or EAP? If NO- then document and close the case If YES- then implement referral and monitor the case.

The Process The Assessment Results They are a Threat Develop a management plan Monitor the plan Refer and follow up Re- Assess Make a decision on closing the case

References Violence Assessment and Interven=on, Cawood and Corcoran CRC Press 2009 Violence Risk and Threat Assessment, Meloy Specialized Training Services, 2000 The Handbook for Campus Threat Assessment and Management Teams, Deisinger and Randazzo, ARM, 2008 An Approach to Prevent Targeted Violence, NIJ Threat Assessment: July 1995