Behavioral threat assessment should be approached with a prevention mindset
Behavioral threat assessment should be approached with a prevention mindset.
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Threat assessment's main aim is gathering information to assess and manage risk, i.e., prevention
The primary objective of a behavioral threat assessment is to gather information about an individual of concern in order to assess and manage the risk of violence they may pose—in other words, prevention.
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Individuals of concern often have committed no crime, yet can still be assessed
Oftentimes, individuals eliciting concern have not violated a criminal statute, which serves as an important reminder that an individual need not commit a criminal offense before being the subject of a behavioral threat assessment.
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Scenario: family reports man angry at former boss who fired him, blaming him for divorce
Imagine a scenario in which a local law enforcement agency is notified by a concerned family member that their loved one has become increasingly angry at his former boss, who fired him after a series of disciplinary actions for safety violations. The individual of concern made comments about having nothing left to lose and claimed that his former boss was to blame for his recent divorce.
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If a crime by the individual of concern comes to light, investigating it is appropriate
In some cases, however, it may come to light that the individual of concern has committed a crime, and once uncovered, it would be appropriate to investigate those criminal violations.
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Criminal investigations should run parallel to and coordinated with threat assessment
In these instances, any required criminal investigation should run parallel to, and in coordination with, a behavioral threat assessment.
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No-crime scenarios show prosecution should not be the primary aim of threat assessment
Concerning scenarios like this, in which no criminal violation has yet occurred, highlight how criminal prosecution should not be the primary objective of a behavioral threat assessment.
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Threat assessment is proactive, early, behavior-focused; not investigation, security or profiling
is a proactive approach to violence prevention. | is not a criminal investigation. provides an avenue for early intervention. | is not a physical security measure. focuses on assessing and managing is not profiling. concerning behavior.
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