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25020 Las Brisas Road, 1st Floor, Murrieta, CA 92562 T: 866-624-8050 CA PI 21463
Serving the Nation Since 1967 www.Investigations.NBI.com
Workplace Violence
You Received a Threat: Should You Worry?
Background checks can serve a variety of purposes. Many employers use background
checks to determine whether potential employees have personal problems, like financial
issues, that could negatively affect their future employment or a history of violence that
could endanger other employees.
But simply unearthing someone's past
issues doesn't paint a clear picture of
their current mental state. One of the
most effective uses of background
investigation is for a Behavioral Threat
Assessment after a threat has been made.
An immediate behavioral threat
assessment can assess whether
someone's current mental state is
questionable and determine if the person
targeted by the threat is in real danger.
When to investigate
If a business receives a direct threat from an employee or person outside the
organization — or even identifies a potential threat — it's often helpful to conduct a
behavioral threat assessment before taking any overt action.
A behavioral threat assessment looks not only at a person's history but also at their
current circumstances; this investigation produces information that can be used in a
psychological analysis to determine whether someone is likely to follow through on a
threat. A behavioral threat assessment is a huge tool in determining the risk level when
a potential threat has been identified.
What to look for
Factors to consider in conducting a behavioral threat assessment should be limited to
issues that are directly related to the current threat. For example, a person's state of
mind five years ago when they committed a crime or had a DUI isn't nearly as important
as their state of mind right now. Are they a threat today?
Although the discovery of a past criminal record can be important, especially if the
person committed a violent crime, the most important factor is the person's current
emotional state.

2. Serving the Nation Since 1967 www.Investigations.NBI.com
Investigators look for the following:
 emotional/relationship issues such as the death of a spouse or close relative,
divorce or loss of child custody
 financial issues such as extremely high debt, bankruptcy, foreclosure or
automobile repossession or gambling addiction
 legal issues such as pending lawsuits or recent illegal activity
These factors are likely to cause feelings of desperation and hopelessness and can increase the
likelihood that the person will carry out the threat.
Professional investigation
Amateur security professionals who don’t know how to conduct a behavioral threat assessment
often jump right into providing protection. This omission can be quite costly to the client
because protection is sometimes unnecessary.
A good investigator will assess not only the seriousness of the threat but also how vulnerable the
threatened person is. Factors to consider include:
 the relationship between the person who made the threat and the person threatened
(Are they closely connected, or do they have few if any actual ties?)
 the ability of the person who made the threat to follow through on it (Does he or she
have access to the threatened individual?)
 the ability of the person who made the threat to gain access to a weapon (knife, gun)
In conducting a behavioral threat assessment, a professional investigator will often talk to
neighbors and co-workers — but the investigation must be conducted delicately. The
investigator must be careful to preserve the person's reputation in case no real threat is found to
exist. Additionally, if not conducted properly the investigation can increase the anxiety level of
the subject and the likelihood they will carry out the threat.
Professional investigators and skilled security consultants who are trained in conducting
behavioral threat assessments and are effective in analyzing threat factors and determining the
validity of a threat, should always be utilized when reacting to a threat of workplace violence. If
you are an untrained human resources representative or risk manager you have a duty to your
people and your organization to retain the services of a trained professional in these fields. The
liability of the wrong decision being made in reaction to a threat can be catastrophic and deadly.
Michael Julian is the President of MPS Security, a division of National Business Investigations,
Inc. and is a 2nd generation Private Investigator and Executive Protection Specialist with
nearly three decades in the investigations and security industries. Michael served as President
of the California Association of Licensed Investigators and is graduate of the Executive
Protection Institute. He frequently teaches and presents on investigative methods and
workplace violence prevention, mitigation and reaction to corporate clients, colleges, trade
schools and investigation and security associations. He can be reached at
MJulian@Investigations-NBI.com