Secret Service Issues Guide to Identify Threats for Schools

Secret Service Issues Guide to Identify Threats for Schools

A threat assessment program create standards for teachers and peers to identify threats before they happen.

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • Jul 13, 2018

In an effort to cut down on the amount of on-campus violence schools have seen in the past few years, the U.S. Secret Service has released a new "actionable" guide to prevent U.S. school attacks.

The Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center has researched school attacks for nearly 20 years. Lina Alathari who led the team that created the guide told CBS This Morning that the guide takes schools through a step-by-step guide that allows them to set up a threat assessment program that can help administration intervene before school shootings happen.

"This guide takes you through actionable step-by-step instructions of how to do that," Alathari said, "How to set up a threat assessment program in school, which constitutes establishing a threat assessment team that's multidisciplinary, identifying concerning and prohibiting behaviors, having a mechanism for reporting behavior and doing a training for stakeholders."

Here are the guide's steps to "Creating a Comprehensive Targeted Violence Prevention Plan"

  1. Establish a multidisciplinary threat assessment team.
  2. Define concerning and prohibited behaviors.
  3. Create a central reporting mechanism.
  4. Determine the threshold for law enforcement.
  5. Establish assessment procedures.
  6. Develop risk management options.
  7. Create and promote safe school climates.
  8. Conduct training for all stakeholders.

Alathari says uniform application of the program is key.

"Just from talking to schools across the country, people have different practices," Alathari said. "I think what this guide will do is really promote where you can have best practices. Where you can have a mechanism in place so that these signs are not missed."

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Analysis of AI Tools Shows 85 Percent Have Been Breached

    AI tools are becoming essential to modern work, but their fast, unmonitored adoption is creating a new kind of security risk. Recent surveys reveal a clear trend – employees are rapidly adopting consumer-facing AI tools without employer approval, IT oversight, or any clear security policies. According to Cybernews Business Digital Index, nearly 90% of analyzed AI tools have been exposed to data breaches, putting businesses at severe risk. Read Now

  • Software Vulnerabilities Surged 61 Percent in 2024, According to New Report

    Action1, a provider of autonomous endpoint management (AEM) solutions, today released its 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report, revealing a 61% year-over-year surge in discovered software vulnerabilities and a 96% spike in exploited vulnerabilities throughout 2024, amid an increasingly aggressive threat landscape. Read Now

  • Evolving Cybersecurity Strategies: Uniting Human Risk Management and Security Awareness Training

    Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to human-focused security approaches, as two out of three (68%) cybersecurity incidents involve people. Threat actors are shifting from targeting networks and systems to hacking humans via social engineering methods, living off human errors as their most prevalent attack vector. Whether manipulated or not, human cyber behavior is leveraged to gain backdoor access into systems. This mainly results from a lack of employee training and awareness about evolving attack techniques employed by malign actors. Read Now

  • Report: 1 in 3 Easily Exploitable Vulnerabilities Found on Cloud Assets

    CyCognito recently released new research highlighting critical security vulnerabilities across cloud-hosted assets, revealing that one in three easily exploitable vulnerabilities or misconfigurations are found on cloud assets. As organizations increasingly shift to multi-cloud strategies, the findings underscore significant security gaps that could provide attackers with potential footholds into networks. Read Now

  • Built for Today, Ready for Tomorrow

    Selecting the right VMS is critical for any organization that depends on video surveillance to ensure safety, security and operational efficiency. While many organizations focus on immediate needs such as budget and deployment size, let us review some of the long-term considerations that can significantly impact a VMS's utility and flexibility. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.