2022 Fall VTAC Preliminary Agenda

2022 FALL VIRTUAL THREAT ASSESSMENT CONFERENCE (VTAC) NOVEMBER 15-16, 2022

8:00 AM - 12:00 PM PT | 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM ET Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP) is pleased to present the 2022 Virtual Threat Assessment Conference (VTAC). This online, two half-day training is designed to address major issues surrounding mass homicides and other public attacks, workplace violence, school/campus violence, domestic violence and other situations involving the prevention of targeted violence. Nationally recognized speakers will give presentations on current information, research, and techniques relating to the industry.

Webinar Recording Information: As this webinar will reach an international audience, we will be making a recording of the sessions available for 48 hours following the event. The recordings will be available through a secured, password protected site, and an email will be sent out to registered attendees with required information to view the recordings.

REGISTRATION RATES: Members: $100 *International Friends of ATAP: $100 Non-Member: $150 *Must be a member of an international TAP, and have a non-US address Group Discount Rates Available for Law Enforcement Agencies sending 10 or more individuals. Please contact staff@atapworldwide.org for more information.

Webinar call-in Information Webinar login information will be provided to attendees the week of the event.

AGENDA (ALL TIMES ARE PT) – (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

8:00 - 8:10 AM

8:00 - 8:10 AM

8:10 - 9:00 AM

8:10 - 9:00 AM

Welcome Remarks Stalking of Professionals, Organizational Responses – Cleo Brandt, BSc, MSc, Dip InvPsych Professionals from various backgrounds, such as those working in the criminal justice system, the mental health field and academia, run the risk of being stalked. They may be stalked by clients, co-workers, students or members of the public. Both a review of the literature and professional experience show that organizations often respond poorly when their employees are being targeted in such a way. This presentation will provide an overview of this subject matter and offer recommendations how organizations might improve their responses.

9:00 - 9:10 AM Break

9:10 - 10:00 AM

Cultural Considerations in Threat Assessment - Steve Burton, R. Psych and Gwyn Allin, Detective (ret.)

Culture has been an important topic for discussion in threat assessment over the past several years. Highlighted by developments in a court case from Canada, R v. Ewert (2018), the use of structured professional judgement and actuarial assessment tools can fall under scrutiny for their lack of validation within cultural groups. Threat Assessment professionals dealing with cases that may involve individuals from specific cultural groups must always factor in the cultural norms and values of the subject(s) of assessment so that accurate assessment can occur. In the absence of the acknowledgment and consideration of cultural factors, the misinterpretation of behavior can lead to both inaccurate assessments and management planning. Using case examples with indigenous subjects, indigenous social history (ISH) factors needing consideration will be identified along with an in-depth analysis of subject behavior. A process to ensure assessments are conducted through a cultural lens will be demonstrated.

10:00 - 10:10 AM Break

10:10 AM - 11:00 AM

Welcome Remarks Stalking of a corporate CEO: A South African case study: from obscure to dangerous - Gerard Labuschagne, BA(Psych/Crim), BA(Hons)Psych, LLB, MA(ClinPsych), MA(Crim),Ph.D.(Psych) CTM(ATAP), Director,L&S Threat Management Threats are dynamic in nature, a person who is low-risk one day, can become high-risk later because people, and their circumstances, change. This can lead the inexperienced threat assessor into disregarding a threat actor because the initial assessment was low risk. This case study highlights the dynamic nature of threats, the role of mental health in stalking behavior, and the creativity needed to successfully manage threats. In early 2018 a disgruntled ex-employee held a one-person protest outside the current place of employment of the CEO from his previous place of employment. He blamed the CEO for his dismissal 11 years prior, in 2007. Initially the level of threat was considered low. However, within two months the ex-employee’s threat level changed drastically. The presenter was the threat assessor hired by the corporate to assist in this case.

This case study will illustrate how this threat was assessed, monitored and managed.

9:00 - 9:10 AM Break

9:10 AM - 10:00 AM

The Threat Landscape of Militant Accelerationism - Matthew Kriner, Managing Director, Accelerationism Research Consortium This presentation will cover the manifestations of risk and threat from militant accelerationism actors and networks. Militant accelerationism is a set of tactics and strategies designed to put pressure on and exacerbate latent social divisions, often through violence, thus hastening societal collapse. The militant accelerationism movement has been responsible for dozens of terrorist attacks worldwide. As a fractal, diverse movement that is decentralized but deeply interconnected, actors within the militant accelerationism landscape heavily rely on stochastic methods and mobilizing concepts to push individuals to violence.

As such, we must reconsider what risks and threats look like in a post-group threat landscape driven by accelerationist violence.

Understanding Expectations and Tolerance of Employee Workplace Violence - Tracy Cassidy, Lead Human-Focused Insider Threat Researcher, The MITRE Corporation

10:00 - 10:10 AM

Workplace violence (WPV) is on the rise and organizations struggle to identify employees at risk of becoming violent. Behavioral sciences tell us that people need to share their feelings, air grievances, and process unsatisfactory or upsetting situations; however, these grievances may lead to toxic workplace behavior and, at worst, fatal or serious injuries to fellow employees. Violence is not simply an event: it is the result of an escalating process. Coworkers often see potential “red flags” or prior incidents of aggression and workplace violence involving an employee, but did not perceive the behavior as concerning enough to report. Employees explain these away or have other reasons for not reporting. The lack of reporting aggression and potential violence can result in missed opportunities for de-escalation. To date, WPV research relies on use case data from previous incidents. MITRE is conducting a research study that will produce a data-driven understanding of the reasonable expectations employees have when a coworker might react in or escalate into an aggressive or violent manner. MTRE has developed a methodology on how to research WPV, and is gathering life-saving data on its recognition and tolerance using a nationwide sample of 2,000 employees. Understanding the types of coworker interactions that prompt concern (vs. the types of interactions that do not cause concern) will help in the data driven, evidence-based development and strengthening of behavioral indicators for existing WPV Prevention Programs.

Additionally, identifying thresholds at which coworkers reasonably expect an act of WPV to be imminent will aid in earlier risk recognition and reporting.

This presentation will provide an overview of our study and the findings to help

Threat Management Lessons From Across the Globe: Targeted Violence in Europe and Asia - Totti Karpela, CTM, CETAP

support workplace violence programs.

11:00 - 11:10 AM Break

11:10 AM - 12:00 PM

The Proximal Warning Behavior Typology After a Decade: What Have we Learned? - Reid Meloy, Ph.D., A Forensic Psychological Corporation Dr. Meloy will discuss the research and operational lessons we have learned since the proximal warning behavior typology was first published in 2012 in Behavioral Sciences and the Law.

Break

10:10 AM - 11:00 AM

This presentation will look at lessons learned over nearly twenty-five years handling threat management cases spanning three continents. We will look at challenges when working with cases, victims or perpetrators while being in other continents and cultures. We will examine how your counterparts in Europe or Asia might respond to your needs, the use of law enforcement and mental health resources, as well as legal and cultural challenges you could face while managing your case.

11:00 – 11:10 AM Break

11:10 AM – 12:00 PM

Managing High Risk Adolescents in Community Contexts: A Case Study of the South Haven (MI) Pier Shooting - Sammie Wicks, Senior Program Manager, Center for Targeted Violence Prevention Does adverting a school attack ensure that the threat of violence has been mitigated? In 2018a youth at Michigan High School was arrested after his mother uncovered a school shooting plot involving modified firearms and homemade explosives. Although the school shooting was averted, the subject of concern went on to conduct a tragic act of mass violence after his release from juvenile detention three years later. This incident highlights the need for ongoing engagement and management of subjects of concern during and after incarceration. Containment strategies do not ensure desistance in violence. This case study presents valuable lessons learned for public safety and public health professionals and the need for collaborative multidisciplinary interventions to prevent acts of targeted mass violence that endure after mitigating the first crisis.

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