Threat Assessment Training Needs Assessment

Law enforcement officers face constant threats, from overt dangers to subtle encounters that can escalate rapidly, such as domestic violence calls, traffic stops, or public interactions. This workshop provides a comprehensive overview of threat assessment and management of distal and immediate threats posed by members of ideologically motivated groups, active shooters, and other bad actors, and trains them to recognize scientifically validated behavioral indicators of those threats. Topics include behavioral indicators associated with indoctrination, radicalization, and extremism; motivations behind ideological hatred; behaviors indicating surveillance or reconnaissance; deception cues tied to future malicious intent; and differences in behavior between various types of violent actors. Officers also learn to recognize facial expressions signaling imminent violence. The course is applicable for all law enforcement officers and first responders across diverse contexts and is based on U.S. government funded operational research on these topics for the past two decades.