ASSOCIATE Magazine FBINAA Q4-2024

Continued from "What to See, Who to Tell", on page 19

Since its 2017 publication of Making Prevention a Reality (also available at www.fbi.gov/prevent), the FBI has supported continued growth of threat assessment and threat management (TATM) capability in all 50 states. In 2018, the BAU established the TATM Initiative, a national-level push to grow TATM capability at the field level. The lynchpin of this program has been the educa tion of FBI Special Agents as Threat Management Coordinators (TMCs), at least one in each field office. These TMCs receive spe cialized BAU training on assessing and managing threats so they can build grassroots capability at FBI field offices and with local partners. In the last six years, BAU and TMCs have established or assisted in the establishment of local or regional threat manage ment teams in over two thirds of FBI field offices. BAU’s Prevent Mass Violence campaign supplements na tionwide efforts to educate potential bystanders, including law enforcement. These efforts are key to preventing mass attacks, as threats must first come to attention before they are managed or mitigated. Perhaps the most promising opportunity for mass violence prevention is by educating our communities on the tan gible, research-based behaviors that signal a person is consider ing violence – and what to do if they spot those signs in someone they know. Law enforcement, schools, and other community stakeholders continue to build the supporting infrastructure to assess and manage threats as they come in, with the benefit of a vigilant public. Together, we can prevent mass violence.

2 Silver, J., Simons, A., & Craun, S. (2018). A Study of Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the United States Between 2000 – 2013. Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. 20535. 3 Wyman, John V. “Thoughtful Leadership for Threat Mitigation: Preventing Targeted Attacks Starts at the Top,” Police Chief 89 , no. 7 (July 2022): 48-53. About the Authors: T. R. R. Cilke and Bradley Hentschel both work at the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU)/ Behavioral Threat Assessment Center (BTAC). Supervisory Special Agent Hentschel and Crime Analyst Cilke both support BTAC’s nation-wide Threat Assessment and Threat Management (TATM) initiative as pro gram managers. In their role at BAU, SSA Hentschel and CA Cilke conduct research on active shooters, consult on terrorism and threats of mass shootings with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, and train security professionals in TATM best practices. SSA Hentschel and CA Cilke have both conducted analysis of mass shootings after-the-fact to identify motive as well as lessons learned for prevention, including the 2022 Uvalde, TX shooting at Robb Elementary School and the 2019 shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Crime Analyst T. R. R. Cilke started her FBI career as a tactical analyst support ing counterterrorism operations from FBI Headquarters, before moving to the Boston Division where she supported investigations into homegrown violent extremists and ISIS-inspired terrorists. She has worked with BAU/BTAC since 2021 where she is heav ily involved in BAU’s work regarding bystanders, online threats, and active shooter research. One of her key focuses is the creation and expansion of BTAC’s “Prevent Mass Violence” campaign. CA Cilke earned a bachelor’s degree in Government from the College of William & Mary. She is a dog mom, a wife, and an avid gamer. Brad is a husband and father of four children. He joined the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit in 2019 after previous FBI assignments in Alaska and Mississippi, where he investigated cases involving terrorism, hate crimes, and human trafficking. Since joining BAU, Brad has consulted on hundreds of targeted violence prevention cases across the country, deployed in response to mass casualty events, and provided training domestically and internationally. During his 14 years as an FBI Special Agent, Brad served on two FBI SWAT teams and is a certified ALERRT instructor.

FBINAA.ORG | Q4 2024

References 1

Fein, R., Vossekuil, B., & Holden, G. “Threat Assessment: An Approach to Prevent Targeted Violence,” National Institute of Justice: Research in Action, (September 1995): 1-7.

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