Reporting Concerning Behaviors
Often times active shooters provide some warning signs to others before they carry out their attacks. These signs may not be in the form of direct threats but may be exhibited through other behaviors or actions. The FBI conducted a study of pre-attack behaviors of active shooters in the United States that occurred between the years of 2000-2013. The study found several key indicators that others observed about the shooter that could have led to intervention before the attacks occurred.
The study found that active shooters displayed 4 or 5 concerning behaviors to others prior to the attacks. The top five behaviors that were exhibited according to the study were symptoms of mental health disorder, interpersonal interactions, leakage (communicating intent to harm someone), quality of thinking or communication and poor work performance. The study found that one of the most common responses by people who observed these behaviors was to do nothing. Meaning people who observed the concerning behavior did not report to a boss, co-worker or the police.
This data is valuable in that it shows that active shooter events can be prevented if someone reports the behaviors they observe. It should be noted not every behavior displayed means the person is going to carry out a violent act. If it were as simple as having a list of observable behaviors that only active shooters displayed, then in theory, we could prevent every active shooter incident. However, most of these behaviors, especially in a school, or work setting should set off alarms to employers and school officials.
There have been many incidents in the past where shooters’ intentions were displayed prior to the event but no interventions were implemented. Because of this many law enforcement agencies have now implemented threat assessment programs. These programs involve law enforcement, mental health, school officials and employers. The hope is that all stakeholders involved work together to intervene before a violent incident occurs. Most people that display these behaviors will not carry out an active attack, but some may become involved in interpersonal violence which could be prevented.
To help with the threat assessment process businesses and school officials should have training for employees and students on what concerning behaviors to look out for from a potential attacker. There should also be a set reporting procedure for how to report a person through the proper channels should their behavior rise to the level of concern for future attacks. This information should then be conveyed to law enforcement so they can conduct a threat assessment of the individual and put in the proper intervention to prevent a violent attack. Hopefully, with everyone working together to report and investigate these pre-attack behaviors more active shooter incidents can be prevented.
