Hillard Heintze Presentation to ATAP - Part 1

Beyond Awareness
ACTIONS IN THREAT AND VIOLENCE RISK MANAGEMENT
February 2018
ATAP DALLAS/FORT WORTH AND HOUSTON FEBRUARY CHAPTER MEETINGS
PART 1
Principles of Behavioral
Threat Assessment

2 HILLARD HEINTZE © 2018 | Protecting What Matters®
AGENDA FOR PART 1
• What We Learned About Attackers
• What We Know About Attack-Related Behavior
• Warning Behaviors
• Mitigation Factors
• Domestic Violence in the Workplace

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT ATTACKERS
The Exceptional Case Study Project
U.S. Secret Service and National Institute of Justice five-year study
examined the thinking and behavior of 83 subjects who carried out
74 attacks from 1949 to 1996 and asked 6 principal questions:
1. How did attackers select targets?
2. What were their motives?
3. How did they plan their attacks?
4. Was mental illness a contributing factor?
5. Did they communicate prior to the attack?
6. How did they assess security they faced?
HILLARD HEINTZE © 2018 | Protecting What Matters®3

What is targeted violence?
Any incident of violence where a
known or knowable attacker selects
a particular target prior to their
violent attack.

MYTH 1
They fit a
distinct profile
FACT 1
Attackers do not fit
one descriptive or
demographic profile
MYTH 2
Mentally ill attackers
are irrational in their
planning
FACT 2
Mentally ill attackers
have developed,
organized and rational
attack plans
MYTH 3
They make a
direct threat
FACT 3
Persons who pose an
actual threat most often
do not make a threat

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT ATTACK-RELATED BEHAVIORS
Targeted violence is the result
of an understandable and often
discernible pre-attack process
of thinking and behavior.

Attack-related behaviors
• Interest or obsession with violence
• Develop attack plan
• Approach or visit site of attack
• Attempted assault or actual attack
• Attempt to penetrate security
• Approach or visit site with weapon

Behavioral Threat Assessment
The process of gathering and assessing
information about persons who may have the
interest, motive, intention and capability of
committing an act of targeted violence.

The Pathway Approach
Threat assessment is not simply assessing a
threat that has been made.
Rather, it is proactively addressing pathway
behaviors and behaviors of concern to mitigate
potential escalation of behaviors and those
behaviors’ potential escalation to violence.
We aren’t predicting, we’re preventing.

Attackers have
motives
• Achieve fame and
notoriety
• Law-enforcement-
assisted suicide
• Bring national
attention to a
perceived problem
Attackers select
targets
• Based on their
motives and
accessibility of
the target
• Often consider
more than one
target
Attackers have common
backgrounds
• Despair, depression,
suicidal thoughts
• History of harassing
or stalking
• Major loss or change in life
• Few arrests for violent
crimes

PRINCIPLES OF BEHAVIORAL THREAT ASSESSMENT
Threat assessment is the approach supported
by the Exceptional Case Study Project
Various approaches to assessing the likelihood
of violence exist. Most are effective in one or
more respects – but ineffective in others.
Profiling Automated
Decision-
Making
Pure Clinical
Judgment

Warning behaviors
• Behavioral changes
• Irritability
• Blaming others
• Sleep disturbances
• Withdrawal
• Substance abuse
• Accidents
• Performance decline
• Physical complaints
• Falsely accusing others
• Explosive outburst
• Threatening litigation
• Inappropriate behavior
• Depression
• Aggressive complaints
• Shouting or throwing things

Mitigating factors
• Close family ties or other positive
personal attachments
• Genuine remorse for making threats
• Positive response to limit-setting efforts
• Professional treatment
• Services offered AND accessed

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE
Nearly 33% of women killed in
U.S. workplaces between 2003-
2008 were killed by a current or
former intimate partner.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008

A phone survey of 1,200 full-time American
employees found that 44% had personally
experienced domestic violence’s effect in
their workplaces.
Corporate Alliance to End Public Violence

Basic indicators of domestic violence
• Uncharacteristic lateness, absence,
poor concentration or work-related errors
• Uncharacteristic moodiness, depression
or distraction
• Injuries, especially if the employee tries to conceal
them with clothing or unusual amount of makeup
• Appears to be living in car or not at home
• Frightened when telephone rings

Basic indicators of domestic violence cont.
• Unusual amount of unwanted phone calls, emails or
text messages from a current or former partner
• Caller asking for information about employee’s location
• Abrupt change of address
• Unwelcome visits by employee’s partner to the workplace
• Employee has spoken about break up or court dates

Manager’s response
• Respect privacy but offer assistance
• Get help from Human Resources and Security
• Train receptionists and executive assistants to
recognize and report early warning signs
• Use a Calls of Concern Checklist

Restraining orders, orders of protection
and physical security
An order of protection is often a signal that an
employee is facing a situation that could
affect the workplace
• Employees must notify Human Resources
• Follow protocol for investigating and managing
the situation
• Ideally request the place of employment be
reflected in the order
• Notify the local police jurisdiction

Matthew Doherty
Senior Vice President, Threat + Violence Risk Management
matthew.doherty@hillardheintze.com
JoAnn Ugolini
Director, Threat + Violence Risk Management
joann.ugolini@hillardheintze.com
Mark Brenzinger, Psy.D.
Vice President, Forensic and Clinical Psychologist,
Threat + Violence Risk Management
mark.brenzinger@hillardheintze.com

Hillard Heintze Presentation to ATAP - Part 1

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Hillard Heintze Presentation to ATAP - Part 1

Similar to Hillard Heintze Presentation to ATAP - Part 1 (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Hillard Heintze Presentation to ATAP - Part 1