Red Flags, Threat Assessments and Connecting-the-Dots
Rick Shaw, CEO Awareity
-June 10th 2010-
Have you noticed more and more comments from the media, safety experts and government leaders are focusing on the failure of organizations to connect-the-dots and the failure to identify red flags prior to emergencies and crisis situations?
From Columbine to Virginia Tech to Fort Hood to the University of Alabama and South Hadley… challenges with red flags, threat assessments and connecting-the-dots have been going on for years; what changes do organizations need to make?
Identifying Red Flags
Why are so many red flags ignored and missed?
A study done by the USA Today revealed that clear warning signs existed in over 80% of violent incidents. Are bystanders not reporting red flags? Are threat assessment teams not aware of the red flags or misjudging the threats? The study revealed in an average week, one employee is killed and 25 are seriously injured in violent assaults by current or former co-workers. And in 8 of 10 cases analyzed where someone was killed, killers revealed clear warning signs such as:
• Showing guns to co-workers
• Threatening their bosses
• Talking about their plans to attack
• And many others…
Lessons learned show red flags like these often go unreported or they are ignored. In some cases victims or bystanders may fear retaliation or they might think they are just being overly suspicious. And sometimes victims or bystanders make reports, but the person receiving the report decides the report is not serious, forgets, or does not pass the information along to all appropriate personnel.
Threat Assessment Teams
In order to save lives and prevent incidents from occurring in the future, suspicious activities and other red flags must be reported to the appropriate personnel immediately and ongoing. By providing employees, victims, bystanders, responders and third-parties the ability to confidentially report suspicious behaviors, they will feel more comfortable and more likely to move from bystander to hero.
Many times one single behavior might not constitute a genuine threat, but when all of the dots are connected, a serious problem may be revealed. For example, maybe one employee hears that John Doe has threatened to “make everyone pay”. A different employee learns that John recently broke up with his girlfriend. A third employee sees John putting a suspicious bag in his locker. Each of these events separately may not be reason for concern, but when connected…the whole picture has to be reviewed and Threat Assessment Teams need specialized awareness to help identify and mitigate risk factors.

Connecting the Dots
Organizations must ensure they are “connecting the dots” – incident reporting, red flags, threat assessment teams, all appropriate individuals, situational awareness, policies, procedures and etc. Connecting the dots means getting the right information with the right people at the right time so better decisions can be made and better results can be achieved.
So how can organizations encourage their employees and third-parties to pay attention to red flags and report them to the appropriate personnel before it is too late?
Organizations should establish, communicate and implement intervention and prevention programs at the individual-level and provide ongoing situational awareness updates for all appropriate individuals on the warning signs of aggressive or violent behavior. Employees, third-parties, students, faculty, etc. need to understand how to recognize early indicators – behaviors and warning signs – that can lead to escalation (bullying, intimidation, threats, harassment, targeted violence, etc.). Organizations can improve awareness of red flags and encourage individuals to report suspicious behaviors, threats, etc. By proactively addressing red flags, organizations can prevent incidents from occurring – saving time, millions of dollars, reputations and people’s lives.
Zero reports of violence do not equal zero violence
This is a critical statement for organizations to understand and address. How is your organization ensuring your employees, third-parties, etc. understand their responsibility to report suspicious incidents, threats, etc.? Have you made it easy for employees to submit an incident report? Can they do so anonymously? Once an employee submits an incident report, how does your organization ensure the appropriate personnel or threat assessment team members are notified? How does your organization know what actions were taken?
Don’t Get Caught Unprepared
As soon as an organization thinks they are safe (“My employees would never do that”) and stops preparing is when they will get caught. It is critical for organizations to understand that the risk of workplace violence is real and implement a proactive approach to ensure workplace safety and security.
Organizations must ensure they are “connecting the dots” across all departments, locations, individuals, etc. and using innovative tools to eliminate silos between management, staff, mental health, law enforcement, third-parties, etc.
When the right information is shared with the right people at the right time, your organization’s chances of preventing workplace violence, negative publicity, lawsuits and much worse, are much better.