TAM Flashcards
Factors that provide stability; in threat assessment, can be used to provide support or stability to a subject who is struggling or represent reasons that an individual would not engage in targeted violence
Anchors
This refers to the type, frequency and intensity of the subject’s attempts to be physically proximal (close) to the target…includes successful and unsuccessful attempts to approach the target.
Approach behavior
the act of detaining someone in legal custody, usually by a law enforcement officer. The actual deprivation of a person’s liberty can be physical detention for a short or prolonged period of time in response to a criminal charge.
Arrest
Specific behaviors that are needed in order to launch a physical assault on a target. These behaviors are displayed as steps on the pathway to violence
Attack-related behaviors
An observable action that provides evidence of an underlying element that may be relevant to a threat assessment and management case.. a subject’s actions (e.g., talking to himself or herself) might lead the threat assessor to believe the person has a mental health disorder that influences the level of threat posed by that individual
Behavioral indicator
Threat assessment orientation based on the idea that the subject will exhibit identifiable behaviors indicating the intent to commit an act of targeted of violence
Behavioral Threat Assessment
observable, identifiable behaviors that an individual exhibits while he or she is progressing on the pathway of violence
Behaviors of concern
An event that is rare, predictable only in retrospect, with extreme impacts
Black swan event
A gap or break… a situation where usual security measures have been circumvented
Breach
When an individual or group becomes defensive and surrounded by fortifications (real and virtual) to keep information in or detractors out…can lead to under- or overestimation of risk
Bunkers
The continuous interaction between what is known and unknown in a particular case, and the evolving assessments used to determine the appropriate protective response at any given point in time
Situation/case dynamics
In addition to known and unknown elements in case dynamics, this includes the intervention implemented by the assessor.
intervention strategy
This is a process used to document the chronological history of evidence to maintain
the security, integrity and accountability of its handling.
Chain of custody
“Circumstances, content and contextual factors” related to a subject’s inappropriate communication or contact
CirCon Factors
Orders issued by a court to convince the subject to stop threatening behaviors or stay away from the target and are periodically employed as a threat
management intervention (e.g., restraining, stay-away, protective orders)
Civil actions
Thinking; in more complex terms, it is the processes in the human mind involved in acquisition, storage, retrieval and processing of information.
Cognition
Ability to perceive nuances or subtle differences. If high in this trait, usually sensitive to small changes in a task, activity, behavior or the environment; Sometimes referred to as intuition or street smarts. A person may have high this trait even with little formal education
Cognitive complexity
The media used to transmit messages are referred to as ___________________.
Threat assessment uses this phrase when referring to the ways that information
about threatening individuals can be gained by threat assessment teams
Communication channels
Safeguarding sensitive information, usually involving case intelligence or personal information.
Confidentiality
The information contained and conveyed in the words, style and method of a threat
Content factors
The situation and environment surrounding the subject or the target. These can be personal, organizational, or on a larger scale (e.g., economic climate, world
news, etc.).
Contextual
A threat, direct or veiled, that is thought to be real, not just hypothetical. One test of whether a threat is ______ is the ability and intent of the entity posing the threat
Credible threat
Any information which is collected, analyzed, or distributed for use in inhibiting or monitoring criminal activity.
Criminal intelligence
Set of behaviors, attitudes, and policies that make it possible for people to work effectively across cultures. In threat assessment, it is having knowledge of differences and the ability to foresee how those differences may impact the investigation, analysis, or management of a case.
Cultural competence
This is an unambiguous statement of threat to either the target or law enforcement detailing intention to commit an act of targeted violence
Directly communicated threat
The cumulative effect an event can have when it initiates a succession of similar event. Used to describe the tendency for the loss of one inhibitor to affect other aspects of a subject’s life and create a downward spiral where other inhibitors are compromised as well.
Domino Effect
This is a preattack increase in intensity (frequency and/or duration) or variety of warning behaviors, usually indicating an attack is imminent
Energy burst
The sum of background factors (peer group, security, access to weapons, etc.) affecting the situation of both the subject and the target. This includes organizational or cultural factors that impact tolerance or reporting of behaviors on the pathway to violence
Environmental influences
Violent action for which the impetus of the attack is born out of an ideological system, usually intended to enact some change or disrupt activities deemed unacceptable by followers of that ideology
Extremist violence
Process of acquiring information and evidence (about the target, the subject, contacts, communication, past and present behavior, context) to support accurate and complete assessment of risks and the best way to defuse them
Fact finding
Governs the gathering, maintenance, and accessibility of educational records. Schools need written permission from the student to release educational records to anyone other than the student.
Family and Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Exceptions to FERPA
To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena, to appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies, and to state and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific state law. Observations or interactions with students.
Prebreach preparations made by the person(s) posing a threat right before the threat is carried out. This can include acts like disseminating reasons for the attack or executing a last will and testament
Final act behavior
Exceptions to HIPAA
The Privacy Rule permits use and disclosure of protected health information, without an individual’s authorization or permission, for national priority purposes to law enforcement officials under specific circumstances (See 45 C.F.R. § 164.512). Disclosure must also be made to someone believed to be able to prevent or lessen a threat or to law enforcement if the information is needed to identify or apprehend an escapee or violent criminal.
Individuals who threaten to facilitate a personal relationship with the target; express infatuations/obsessions
Binder howler
Individuals who are motivated to threaten individuals because of their high public profile.
Celebrity-seeking Howlers..this is an impersonal sinister type of howler
Individuals who threaten as means of control over the target, usually a partner or family member.
Controller Howler..this is a personal sinister type of howler
Individuals who threaten as a reaction to other threats or reports of violence.
Copycat Howlers…this is an impersonal sinister type of howler
Individuals who threaten as a means to further a personal cause.
Crusader Howlers…this is an impersonal sinister type of howler
Individuals who threaten as a result of delusional relationship (or potential relationship) with the target.
Deluded Howlers…a personal binder type of howler….
Individuals for whom delusional content plays a direct role in their threats They don’t want a relationship but the delusions are causing threats.
Delusional Howlers…this is an impersonal sinister type of howler
Individuals who threaten in order to implicate a third party as the perpetrator of the threats.
Dirty-trickster Howlers…this is a personal sinister type of howler
Individuals who make threats on a continual basis, much like a hobby
Habitual Howlers…impersonal sinister type of howler
Individuals who threaten someone they do not know.
Impersonal Howlers
Individuals who threaten as a way of intimidating the target, who is typically a member of one of their social circles (e.g. supervisor, coworker, teacher, classmate).
Intimidator Howlers..this is a personal sinister type of howler
Individuals who threaten as an attempt to continue a relationship that the target wishes to end it.
Maintainer Howlers…a personal binder type of howler….different from Seeker bc a maintainer wants to CONTINUE a relationship that’s ended and seeker wants to ESTABLISH one
Individuals who threaten someone they know - seek to control targets - physical intimidation
Personal Howlers
Individuals who threaten as a means to establish an intimate relationship with the target, even when the target has repeatedly rebuffed them.
Seeker Howlers….a personal binder type of howler….different from Maintainer bc a maintainer wants to CONTINUE a relationship that’s ended and seeker wants to ESTABLISH one
Individuals who are just happy to communicate - the communications forge the relationship - seek to become lover, relative, or friend of a public figure
Relationship howler…a type of impersonal binder
Individuals who have a mental illness and believe that the public figure sends them messages through their daily activities or destiny will bring them together
Delusory howler…a type of impersonal binder
Individuals who don’t realize the inappropriateness of their communication with the target
Callow howler…this is a type of impersonal binder
Individuals who threaten as a defensive reaction to a perceived threat or attack from the target.
Self-defender Howlers….this is an impersonal sinister type of binder
Individuals who threaten in order to scare, cause anxiety, or intimidate the target
Sinister Howlers
Deliberate actions taken by a human against another human with the intention of causing harm.
Human-on-Human Violence
Individuals who intend to follow a path toward violence and behave in ways to further that goal
Hunters (aka biters)
Individuals who, though they have inappropriate, bizarre or threatening contact with the target, never intend on following a path to violence
Howlers (aka Barkers)
Entertaining ideas specific to the utility and acceptability of violence as a means to address the subject’s particular grievance
Ideation
Thoughts of the necessity and utility of violence by a subject that are made evident through behaviors such as researching previous attackers and collecting, practicing, and fantasizing about weapons
Identification
This is an act of spontaneous violence often sparked by situational or contextual triggers
Impromptu violence
Contact or communication with the target that is unwanted and intended by the subject to further the motives behind the threatening behavior. Contact can be written, verbal, or behavioral in nature and delivered in a variety of ways. These may be perceived by the target as intimidation, harassment, threatening, or out of context
Inappropriate Communication or Contact
Careful consideration of converging evidence in a case to ascertain the level of threat posed and progress toward violence.
Information Analysis
Process of obtaining information from all available sources to inform the analysis and decision making in a threat assessment
Information Gathering
Facilitation of the flow of information among entities responsible for a case so that all parties have access to current, relevant information on which to base decision making
Information Sharing
Refers to information or knowledge that is kept
separate, is tightly controlled, and is not shared.
Silo Effect (stovepipe effect)
Anything that serves to decrease the likelihood that a subject’s behavior will escalate to an act of targeted violence (e.g., familial bonds, strong friendships, or employment); sometimes referred to as buffers
Inhibitors
Individual with access to a facility or organization who uses that access to disrupt or cause harm to the organization or others involved with that organization
Insider threat
What are the criteria for intended violence?
Intent to commit the act….selecting an attack mode that ensures injury, death, or property damage….and a motive that does not profit the attacker.
Purposeful questioning of a subject to obtain accurate, useful, and timely information relevant to an investigation
Interrogation
The action taken in implementation of a threat management strategy (e.g., interviewing, monitoring, etc.)
Intervention
Potential conflict between the intervention applied and its effects on the POC’s inhibitors and stabilizers.
Intervention Dichotomy
The case dynamic intensified by the stimulus of what the threat manager or target does or does not do in response to the threat situations
Intervention Synergy
Range of levels of confrontation with the subject of a threat management case
Intervention Vectors
Strategies to engage a subject in the interview in order to elicit information
Interview approach
Plan for the goals and approaches to an interview (e.g., deciding what information will be sought, how the subject will be redirected, where the interview will take place, etc.)
Interview Strategy
An active process of seeking out and finding information relevant to a threat assessment case.
Investigation
Any verbal interaction between a law enforcement officer and a civilian for which the purpose is gathering information
Investigative Interview
JACA
justification – alternatives – consequences – ability
The subject’s decision to end his or her life can lead to an act of targeted violence as a means of attaining fame or martyrdom in addition to their suicide attempt
Last resort
When a subject shares information with a third party that reveals clues related to his or her thinking, planning, or execution of an act of targeted violence
Leakage
Generally, what 2 criteria must be met for a mental health/civil commitment?
(1) the person must have a mental disorder and (2) the mental disorder contributes to dangerousness regarding threat to self or others
Threat management interventions that are dynamic and involve real-time observation of a subject’s behavior and/or movements through means such as surveillance or wiretapping.
Active monitoring
Threat management interventions that involved the use of non-intensive methods of tracking subject’s behavior, such as having a third party
report on conduct.
Passive monitoring
Style of management that focuses on short-term goals with immediate payoffs at the expense of strategies with superior but distant payoffs
Myopic management
New acts of violence committed by the subject
that are unrelated to his or her planned act of targeted violence
Novel aggression
Acts of intended violence involving general or nonspecific selection of victim
Opportunistic Violence
Threat of a direct nature, describing a possible future act against the target (e.g., I will kill you)
Overt threat
Sum of the physical protective measures (e.g., key locks, security guards, security cameras, etc.) designed to detect, mitigate, or eliminate a
threat
Physical security
Act that is planned for by the attacker and does not involve reactive emotional components or an imminent threat to the attacker. It is
sometimes referred to as instrumental, premeditated, proactive, or cold-blooded
violence.
Predatory violence
Behaviors associated with this include acquiring weapons, assembling equipment, arranging transportation, observing significant dates, rehearsing, conducting final act behaviors, or costuming
Preparation
Process of gathering detailed information surrounding an inappropriate communication or contact. This information is used to create safety plans for the target.
Protective Fact Finding
In threat assessment and management refer to strategies that employ measures comparable to the level of risk presented by the subject
Proportionate Responses
Actions taken in response to a criminal act or imminent threat to secure the target and ensure the target’s safety
Protective Response
Conversion of a follower of a legitimate belief system to an extremist ideology based on that system, often with the intent of using them to commit or support a future act of violence.
Radicalization
Establishing a sense of connection between the interviewer and the interviewee to facilitate communication and information sharing
Rapport Building
Refocusing the subject’s attention away from the target and toward another person, organization, or activity (e.g., toward the threat assessment
professional or law enforcement agency)
Redirection
Seeking information about a target to facilitate an attack. This can include any number of dimensions, including surveillance of the target, Internet searches, and testing security around the target.
Research and Planning
Began in systems engineering. Used as a
phrase that encompasses a process through which options for decreasing risk are considered along with the potential outcomes associated with their implementation, both positive and negative.
Risk Assessment
Recognizing the limits of knowledge, experience, and capabilities that one possesses and performing only functions within the boundaries of professional training and duties.
Scope of Practice
A cluster of behaviors, including unwanted communication, approach, or other contact, usually intended to threaten, harass, coerce, or intimidate the target into meeting the demands of the perpetrator.
Stalking
A threat management intervention that involves direct contact with the subject for information gathering, refocusing or redirecting the subject, and warning or confronting the subject.
Subject Interview
Actively but unobtrusively observing a subject to gather information about their activities and whereabouts
Surveillance
Probabilities of risk at the extreme ends (tails) of a normal distribution. In threat assessment, this pertains because targeted violence has a very low rate of occurrence; however, the risk should not be underestimated based on statistical probability that it will or will not happen.
Tail Risk
A deliberate, justified decision to assign a case inactive status.
Take No Further Action at This Time
Violent incidents involving an identifiable subject (perpetrator) who possesses the intent and potential to cause harm to an identifiable target.
Targeted Violence
Act of violence or threats of violence used to further the agenda of the perpetrator while causing fear and psychological distress.
Terrorism
Using a reliable third party to exercise control over the subject or unobtrusively monitor his or her behavior
Third Party Control or Monitoring
A fact-based method of assessment/investigation that focuses on an individual’s patterns of thinking and behavior to determine whether, and to what extent, he or she is moving toward an attack on an identifiable target
Threat Assessment
A condition in which the individual believes he or she is not in control of his or her actions, but instead is being commanded by an outside, usually malevolent
Threat/Control Override
The entirety of the steps taken to identify, assess, and manage a threat assessment case. This includes developing, implementing, and monitoring a thorough plan unique to each subject and situation that includes protective measures for the intended target
Threat Management Process
A coordinated plan of direct or indirect interventions with the subject that, based on
current information regarding level of threat posed, is designed to defuse the risk in a given situation at a particular point in time.
Threat Management Strategy
An event or action that initiates a defensive/emotional response of some type. It moves the person along the path to violence.
Trigger
Threat of an indirect nature, vaguely describing the possibility of negative consequences for the target
Veiled threat
Locations in which violence occurs or could potentially occur, including (but not limited to) workplaces, residences, and schools.
Venues of Violence
Working with the target to determine what a potential victim knows and needs to know, and how he or she finds out about the subject’s behaviors. Providing too much information can unnecessarily cause distress for the victim, while not presenting enough can lead to unsafe situations.
Victim Management
The process by which a subject focuses on a target for his or her intended violence. This can include specific selection or opportunistic victims that happen to be at the location of an attack or included in some broad group which the subject has a grievance.
Victim Selection
An intentional act of harm.
Violence
The nature and intensity of violent rhetoric included in inappropriate contacts and
communications
Violence Content
Continuous investigative and analytical process of evaluating an individual’s probability of committing an act of violence based on personal and situational variables by an individual qualified (through training, experience, or education) to make risk determinations and recommendations for response, management, and mitigation of that risk.
Violence Risk Assessment
Reliable factors that have an established correlation with violent crime
Violence Risk Factors
A broad determination by a threat management team as to whether individual’s behavior shows cause for concern and thus threat management procedures should be initiated.
Violence Risk Screening
The process of forming and entertaining thoughts about violence as an acceptable means to address a grievance.
Violent Ideation
According to Homeland Security definitions, it refers to degree to which a target is at risk for attack or disruption.
Vulnerability
Unobtrusive monitoring of the subject to see if he or she will take additional actions in relation to the target
Watch and Wait
Interview involving a third party, usually to inquire about information concerning threatening behaviors or contacts by the subject, or background information on the subject’s past or current behavior or mental status.
Witness Interview
Two studies that found offenders did not threaten their targets directly but displayed identifiable behaviors prior to..
1) Exceptional case study project…shootings of public officials and figures from 1949-1994…included completed shootings and those who approached with lethal means and intent…all others excluded
2) Safe School Initiative…school shooting cases from 1974-2000
When assessing for potential violence, focus on ______ and avoid the clinical tendency to ______
behavior…..diagnose
frequency of events in certain population over a certain period of time
base rate
people who report others’ concerning behaviors
upstander
What is a threat?
Expression of intention to inflict injury or damage
1) Content
2) Context
3) Circumstances
1) words or deeds used
2) before, during, and after a threat is made
3) Surrounding facts – method of delivery, relationship between threatener and target, type of target
Over ___% of men who murdered their intimate partners explicitly threatened to do so beforehand
70
Availability bias
assigning the most importance to behavior which immediately comes to mind
Foresight bias
an unrealistic ability to predict future events
What’s the difference between pathway to impromptu violence and pathway to targeted violence
targeted violence has the stages of research/planning & preparation
Both impersonal and personal howlers can be _____ or ____
Sinister or binding
Individuals who have a mental illness and believe that the public figure sends them messages through their daily activities or destiny will bring them together
Delusory howler…a type of impersonal binder
The four Case Mgmt designations by Calhoun and Weston
1) Active
2) Inactive
3) Chronic/Habitual - repeated inappropriate approaches, frequently multiple targets over extended period of time but never escalates
4) Long-term - remains relatively low risk but worth keeping an eye on.can be passive or active (watch and wait)…doesn’t keep making inappropriate approaches towards targer
Three most fundamental steps of a threat assessment and mgmt
1) Identify
2) Assess
3) Manage
An active shooter is..
An individual killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area
Calhoun and Weston’s Law of Communications
Difficulty in maintaining close communications increases in direct proportion to the increase in the number of people and organizations involved
What are two approaches to assessing the subject’s stakes?
1) JACA…all four have to be “yes” to be considered high risk
2) Discerning the subject’s degree of emotional or mental investment..spectrum of reactions:
a. nothing is at stake
b. normal acceptance
c. mild loss
d. much to lose
e. everything to lose
In addition to known and unknown elements in case dynamics, this includes the intervention implemented by the assessor.
intervention strategy
Why didn’t Calhoun and Weston categorize hunters like they did howlers?
1) Determining to which category a hunter belongs may not be so clear until the latter stages
2) The category is not as important as how far along the pathway to intended violence they’re on
When something happens that causes a howler to become a hunter
last straw syndrome
sequential, reciprocal response pattern, in which interactants adjust to each other’s behaviors
symbolic interactionism
A summation of any threatening communications or warnings made by most school shooters studied.
Signaling the attack
There is evidence that alcohol is significantly lower in …
those individuals engaged in targeted violence than those in impulsive violence
an artifact which claims the completion of a targeted violence attack or describes the motivation for it.
legacy token
Anything in the person’s life that causes tension or anxiety, like an upcoming job performance review, chronic pain, unhappy home or work environment
Stressor
Multiple precipitating events can lead up to a ….
last straw event
A significant gap of information about which the threat assessor is aware but has not yet obtained…regarding silos this is called….
a known-unkonwn
A facet of a case the threat assessor is not aware exists….this is…
an unknown-unknown
How long does the FBI recommend before retiring a case?
18 months
In ___ % of school shooters, researchers found the attacker told at least one person beforehand? In what percentage of cases did at least two other people know before hand?
81% and 59%
The safe schools initiative found that how many mass attackers exhibited a history of suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts at some point prior to the attack?
78%
What percentage of offenders between 2000-2013 committed suicide after the attack in a study of 160 active shooters?
50$
The RAGE V is applicable to both ___ and ____ sectors
public and private
