Behavioral Threat Assessment Team: How to Build One That Works

A behavioral threat assessment team is a small, multidisciplinary group inside an organization that receives reports of concerning behavior, gathers facts, judges whether a person is on a path toward violence, and puts a plan in place to reduce the risk. The focus is on behavior and circumstances, not profiles or stereotypes. Workplaces, schools, hospitals and houses of worship use these teams to step in early, long before a situation turns into an emergency.

Why do organizations need a threat assessment team?

Targeted violence is rarely sudden. People who commit it often move along what threat assessment professionals call a “pathway to violence”: a grievance, then thoughts of violence, research and planning, preparation, and finally action. Along the way, they frequently do or say things that worry the people around them. Many reveal their intent to others before acting, something practitioners call leakage.

The problem is that those warning signs are usually scattered. A coworker hears a comment, a manager notices a change in behavior, HR has a complaint on file, and security saw the person at the building after termination. A threat assessment team gives all of those pieces one place to land.

The model is well established. The US Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center has published guidance for schools built on this approach, and ASIS International publishes an American National Standard on workplace violence prevention that calls for a multidisciplinary threat management function.

Who should be on a behavioral threat assessment team?

Keep the core threat assessment team small enough to meet quickly, usually four to seven people, with others called in as needed.

In schools, a threat assessment team typically includes an administrator, a counselor or school psychologist, a school resource officer or other law enforcement partner, and a teacher or staff member who knows the student.

How does the threat assessment process work?

1. Identify. Employees, students or the public report concerning behavior through clear, well publicized channels, including anonymous options.
2. Triage. The team lead quickly decides whether there is an imminent danger (call 911 and act now) or whether the case needs a full assessment.
3. Gather information. Interview witnesses and, when appropriate, the person of concern. Review records, communications and any prior incidents.
4. Assess. The threat assessment team asks structured questions: Is there a grievance? Has the person communicated intent? Are there signs of planning or acquiring weapons? What stressors and protective factors are present?
5. Manage. Build a case plan that reduces risk. That may include support services, workplace changes, a fitness for duty review, protective measures for a target, or law enforcement involvement.
6. Monitor and close. Follow up on the plan, reassess when circumstances change, and document why the case was closed.

A simple example

Picture an employee who was passed over for promotion and has started making bitter comments about his manager, including one remark that “someone should make her pay.” A coworker reports it. The team reviews his file, talks with the coworker and the manager, and learns he is also going through a divorce. There is no sign of planning or weapons. The plan: a meeting with HR to address the conduct, a referral to the employee assistance program, a change in reporting line, and a check in after 30 days. The case stays open until the threat assessment team is satisfied the risk has dropped.

What behaviors should trigger a referral?

Every threat assessment team should publish examples so people know when to speak up. Common concerns include:

• Direct, indirect or conditional threats, including in email, texts or social media
• Talking about or showing unusual interest in past attacks or weapons
• Intimidation, stalking or harassment of a coworker, student or former partner
• A strong grievance combined with blaming others or talk of revenge
• Major, unexplained changes in behavior, especially after a loss, termination or discipline
• Domestic violence that may follow someone to the workplace

The message to staff should be simple: you do not have to decide whether something is serious. Report it, and the threat assessment team will assess it.

What are the most common mistakes?

Treating it as a discipline process

If the only outcome is firing or expelling the person, you may increase their grievance and remove your ability to monitor them. Good teams think about what happens the day after a termination, not just the meeting itself.

Waiting for a direct threat

Many people who attack never threaten their target directly. A threat assessment team that only acts on explicit threats will miss most of the cases it exists to catch.

Working without written procedures

Without written procedures, case decisions depend on who happens to be in the room. Document the team’s authority, roles, confidentiality rules, recordkeeping and how cases are opened and closed.

Never training together

A threat assessment team should train on the process and run tabletop exercises with realistic cases before it faces a real one. The Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP) is one source of professional training and the Certified Threat Manager credential.

How does a threat assessment team fit with your other programs?

A threat assessment team is one part of a larger violence prevention effort. In California, it supports the reporting, investigation and post incident requirements in a workplace violence prevention plan under SB 553. In hospitals, it pairs with the measures in our guide to healthcare workplace violence prevention. Federal guidance on workplace violence is available from OSHA.

Many organizations bring in an outside consultant to design the program, write procedures, train the team and serve as an on call advisor for difficult cases. You can find experienced professionals on our behavioral threat assessment page or among workplace violence prevention specialists. For budgeting, see the workplace violence prevention cost guide.