Editor’s Note: This is part 1 of CS’ two-part series on behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM) teams. Part 2 covers team training, how to practice BTAM, and case management follow up. The article also provides a sample scenario schools can use in their exercises.
It is unimaginable to think in today’s world that any school, school district or institution of higher education is without some kind of behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM) process and team. Team members typically include staff members responsible for student wellness, student services, security, and academics. Some teams are fairly large, while others are quite small. Teams may use off-the-shelf tracking and analysts’ platforms, while other teams use a simple spreadsheet. BTAM teams have multiple responsibilities, but none more important than connecting the dots to prevent an active attack.
More formal definitions of BTAMs include:
- SchoolSafety.gov: Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) is the systematic process of investigating and assessing concerning behaviors. The primary goal of BTAM is to evaluate the difference between making a threat and posing a threat to a school community and then to build a management plan that supports the safety of the entire community.
- Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team: A proactive, prevention-based approach for recognizing, evaluating, assessing, and managing threatening or concerning behavior before an act of violence has occurred, including terrorism. The approach provides public safety personnel with options for responding to individuals whose behavior demonstrates they are at risk of committing future acts of violence, particularly when traditional law enforcement tools are unavailable, by working with non-law enforcement community partners. A key element of the model is an effective Threat Assessment and Threat Management (TATM) Team—a multidisciplinary group that evaluates concerning behavior and applies a tailored management strategy to prevent violence.
- Texas School Safety Center: The primary component of a threat assessment program is a multi-disciplinary threat assessment and management team. Involving members from an array of disciplines enhances the team’s ability to:
- Identify developing concerns/threats. Gather information from multiple sources and organizational silos.
- Maximize skills and resources to address concerns.
- Monitor outcomes.
- Enhance the district’s/school’s overall ability to: Communicate (to, from, and within the team), collaborate (working together for the best awareness and outcomes), coordinate (engaging in purposeful planning and coordination of actions and interventions within the team and with outside partners).
Who Should Be on a Campus Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Team?
BTAM’s typically meet as a full team once a week to discuss any timely concerns, review recent reports, and provide continued monitoring as needed of situations and individuals that the team has previously reviewed. There are various structures and compositions based on the nature of the institution, but minimally, such teams should include a representative from public safety, mental health, and the appropriate administrative authority with oversight for conduct process, such as a representative from the dean of students office or similar institutional administrator.
If an institution has on-campus housing, a representative from residence life is common, along with a representative from healthcare if the campus has a clinic or similar health services. Other useful team members can include representatives from access and accommodations (disability services), legal counsel, Title IX/sexual misconduct, and academic advising or similar student support services.
Some teams include a member of the faculty, and there are pros and cons to this approach. Having someone who represents academic affairs administration can be helpful, especially when special arrangements are needed in a classroom setting, though having a rotating faculty member, such as a representative of a governance body like a faculty senate can be challenging, especially given the highly sensitive nature of the cases the team will discuss.
Related Article: How to Support Students Who Exhibit Warning Signs of Potential Violence
If the team is a comprehensive team — meaning it reviews all concerns involving any member of the community or individuals who might be a threat to the community in any way, even if external to the institution — then it can also be helpful to have someone from human resources in case any employee related concerns arise.
It is best to structure the team to include a core consistent group that will work together over time, and not to have too large a team. If special cases arise, others with appropriate expertise and/or situational knowledge can be consulted.
Even though the team may only meet weekly, it is imperative to have a team leader who is constantly monitoring cases to ensure timely response, and many teams create a subgroup to conduct time-sensitive review. Often those sub-teams can help conduct on-going case triage and should be small enough to gather and respond quickly. For example, a three person triage team could include representatives from the dean of students, public safety/campus police, and counseling (and legal counsel can also be useful to have at the ready should a desired action require quick legal review).
Managing the BTAM Case Database Is Critical
Data management is also critically important. There are numerous case management databases that exist, some as localized, on-premises software and some cloud-based robust data systems.
Someone must be assigned as the primary database manager, whether that person is the team chair or a designated administrator, but there should also always be back-up administrators to ensure continuity and timely response in case the lead administrator is not readily available. Many of these systems include notification features that can alert designated team members on their cell phones when a new case is submitted. Ideally such systems should allow for web-based public access for report submissions. Some institutions prefer restricted access with required login to identify the reporter. Others offer an anonymous reporting option. There are pros and cons to each approach, and often it is best to have systems that provide both options simultaneously.
Related Article: So, You Want To Be A Threat Assessment Manager?
Many robust systems also have multiple levels of access and control to allow certain members of the team to administer cases and others to view cases, and some allow the opportunity to request information from others outside the team who might have relevant information to include in the case file. Many systems also have communication features to allow the generation of emails and letters, and some are embedded within or connected to other data systems, for example a conduct or Title IX database. Some allow for the easy transfer of cases between different categories in situations when a report begins in BTAM and then transitions into a conduct case, or vice versa.
Being able to track the actions of the team is important, whether in a robust database or other more simple tool like a spreadsheet. There is a balance in how much information is captured since some data may be subject to open records and/or required to be made available for review by the individual(s) involved in the case. Working with legal counsel to ensure all members of the team understand applicable laws, like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), is critically important.
Read Part 2.
Andy Altizer is the Emergency Management Coordinator at Westminster Schools in Atlanta. He was previously the Director of Emergency Management at Kennesaw State University, Director of Emergency Preparedness at Georgia Institute of Technology, and Assistant Dean of Students at Oglethorpe University (GA). He is a part-time instructor in the undergraduate criminal justice program at Georgia State University.
Dr. Michael Sanseviro is the Vice President for Student Engagement at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. He previously served as Associate Vice President and Dean of Students at Kennesaw State University, Director of Residence Life at Kennesaw State University, and Director of Student Life at Georgia Perimeter College at the Gwinnett University Center. In addition to his administrative roles, he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses for over 30 years and serves on numerous non-profit boards.
NOTE: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety.
