Opinion ID: 1611761
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: threat assessment

Text: ¶ 80. In July 1999, the FBI's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime convened a national symposium on school violence. The symposium led to publication of The School Shooter, a valuable resource to help school officials and others assess the seriousness of student threats. This threat assessment manual makes the point that: All threats are NOT created equal. However, all threats should be accessed [sic] in a timely manner and decisions regarding how they are handled must be done quickly. .... Threat assessment seeks to make an informed judgment on two questions: how credible and serious is the threat itself? And to what extent does the threatener appear to have the resources, intent, and motivation to carry out the threat? The School Shooter, supra, at 5. ¶ 81. The report explains that threats are made for a variety of reasons: A threat may be a warning signal, a reaction to fear of punishment or some other anxiety, or a demand for attention. It may be intended to taunt; to intimidate; to assert power or control; to punish; to manipulate or coerce; to frighten; to terrorize; to compel someone to do something; to strike back for an injury, injustice or slight; to disrupt someone's or some institution's life; to test authority, or to protect oneself. The emotions that underlie a threat can be love; hate; fear; rage; or desire for attention, revenge, excitement, or recognition. Id. at 6. ¶ 82. The report categorizes threats as direct threats, indirect threats, veiled threats, and conditional threats. [3] It suggests that there are three levels of threats ranging in severity from low to high. Id. at 8-9. The first task for officials is to assess the threat itself. ¶ 83. The report also proposes a four-pronged assessment model, based upon the totality of the circumstances, for assessing the threatener. The four prongs are listed as follows: Prong One: Personality of the student Prong Two: Family dynamics Prong Three: School dynamics and the student's role in those dynamics Prong Four: Social dynamics Id. at 10-14. ¶ 84. The analysis in The School Shooter is useful in reviewing this case. The publication states unequivocally that [a]ll aspects of a threatener's life must be considered when evaluating whether a threat is likely to be carried out. Id. at 10.