Conclusion

The Secret Service has long held that prevention is the best form of protection.

For over 25 years, NTAC’s research examining incidents of targeted violence has demonstrated that future tragedies are preventable if communities are equipped with the training and resources necessary to identify individuals of concern, assess their risk of violence, and intervene appropriately.

By following the steps in this operational guide, state and local law enforcement agencies will be able to adopt the pioneering principles of the Secret Service’s behavioral threat assessment model and move toward a structured approach to targeted violence prevention.

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.

Everyone has a role to play in keeping communities safe, and the Secret Service stands ready to support our public safety partners in this vital mission.