U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center Provides Training to Law Enforcement, School Personnel and Campus Officials in Worcester
BOSTON - The United States Attorney’s Office, Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Secret Service’s Boston office today hosted researchers from the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) to provide law enforcement, school personnel and university officials with information on Managing Threatening Situations and Creating Safe School Climates. Over 200 attended the conference which was held at Worcester Technical High School.
During the conference, participants were provided information on the foundations of threat assessment which is a behavior-based approach used by law enforcement and others to identify and assess those individuals who pose a risk of engaging in targeted violence. NTAC also highlighted its research related to school safety and the adaption of the threat assessment approach in both K-12 and higher education settings. They also discussed how privacy laws such as HIPAA and FERPA can impact the ability to identify students of concern, and provided participants with information on types of information that can be shared to assist with a threat assessment investigation.
“We are very grateful to the U.S. Secret Service’s NTAC for sharing their expertise on how to develop a comprehensive plan to prevent targeted violence," said United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. “It is our hope that the information provided today will provide law enforcement, schools and universities with additional tools on how to establish a culture that promotes and implements effective violence prevention and intervention strategies."
“Having the most innovative programs and best teachers doesn’t matter if we can’t put our children in a safe environment every day," said Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. “The experts from the Secret Service gave us a lot of great information today that will help keep our children safe."
"It's an honor for the Sheriff's Office to partner with District Attorney Early, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz and the U.S. Secret Service for the Annual Safe School Summit," said Worcester County Sheriff Lewis G. Evangelidis. “Today's forum provides us with a great opportunity to share critical public safety information on topics such as violence prevention and emergency response to facilitate a safe school climate. Addressing these important safety issues underscores our commitment to making sure our students and teachers always feel safe and secure in their school environment."
For more information on the National Threat Assessment Center and its research, please visit http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac.shtml
For information on the Department of Justice’s Defending Childhood Initiative, please visit http://www.justice.gov/defendingchildhood/ and
http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/section/our_work/child_wellbeing/defending_childhood_initiative
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
