By Lt. Glenn R. Albin (Ret.)
In law enforcement, the greatest success is the crime that never happens. With agencies navigating recruitment and retention concerns, staffing shortages and multigenerational workplace dynamics, the adage do more with less has never been more apparent. Nationally, as the evolving threat landscape grows — ranging from mass shootings to ideologically motivated violence — proactive policing rooted in Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) has become a mission-critical necessity.
We can no longer afford to view acts of targeted violence as random or unpreventable. The evidence tells a different story. Decades of research, including findings from the FBI and U.S. Secret Service, demonstrate that those who carry out targeted attacks follow identifiable behavioral patterns, often leaving behind a trail of concerning indicators long before a single law is broken. [1,2]
BTAM is the operational framework that bridges the gap between concerning behavior and criminal action. It gives law enforcement the ability to intervene early — lawfully, ethically and effectively — before warning signs become headlines. Those trained in the effective use of contemporary BTAM practices act as a force multiplier when resources are scarce.
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From patrol to prevention
The job of an officer is no longer just to respond to crime, but to recognize pre-incident indicators and act on patterns that point toward potential violence. Whether it is a threat conveyed in a workplace, stalking behavior around a school campus, intimate partner violence, or a fixation with mass casualty events observed during a traffic stop, early detection is key.
This requires a structured, investigative mindset involving the use of evidence-based practices focusing on prevention of targeted violence. BTAM moves beyond instinct and “sixth sense,” and draws from validated Structured Professional Judgment (SPJ) tools — such as NCBIO-25, TRAP-18, WAVR-21(v3), C-STAG and RAGE-V — designed to assess risk factors and warning behaviors with precision. These tools empower law enforcement to make informed decisions based on behavioral patterns, not bias or guesswork. [3]
The BTAM process is an investigation, not a mental health pass
Let’s be clear: BTAM is not about labeling someone “mentally ill” and handing them off. Most perpetrators of targeted violence do not have a diagnosable mental illness, and those who do rarely present imminent threats unless compounded by stressors, grievances or other risk factors. [2,4]
This makes the investigative component of BTAM paramount. Officers must be trained to conduct behavioral interviews, triage digital evidence, interpret proximal warning signs and analyze leakage. We must craft and ask better questions, spot behavioral escalation and work collaboratively with partners — from mental health professionals to legal counsel — to assess totality of circumstances.
As a prior homicide investigator, I can attest that BTAM investigations are not unlike homicide cases in reverse. We build behavioral timelines, interview witnesses, examine motives and assess opportunity. But instead of documenting aftermath, we aim to interrupt the pathway to violence. [5]
Mitigation and management require cross-disciplinary coordination
What comes after assessment is equally critical: mitigation and long-term management. Law enforcement must be an integral part of coordinating multidisciplinary teams that monitor persons of concern, implement tripwires, establish protective orders (such as Gun Violence Restraing Orders and workplace violence restraining orders), and ensure case continuity over time.
“We must develop intelligence-led threat management systems that map behavioral indicators, flag escalation patterns and coordinate jurisdictional response.”
This is where we need systems thinking. Just as law enforcement uses CompStat and real time crime centers to analyze crime trends, we must develop intelligence-led threat management systems that map behavioral indicators, flag escalation patterns and coordinate jurisdictional response. Risk mitigation is not a one-time check — it’s a long-term strategy requiring information sharing, legal safeguards and command-level oversight.
Training is no longer optional
Unfortunately, most academies and in-service programs still lack standardized BTAM training. While with the San Jose Police Department, BTAM training was routinly made available within our detective divisionn, but the patrol officers and police academy graduates had fewer opportunities. Officers are being placed in high-risk environments — schools, places of worship, domestic violence calls — without a clear operational roadmap for identifying behavioral red flags. That is a liability we can no longer afford.
California’s SB 553, SB 906 and related mandates signal a broader shift: law enforcement agencies must adopt BTAM as part of their core investigative competencies. This includes building internal threat teams, embedding analysts with SPJ tools, and integrating BTAM principles into use-of-force decision-making, de-escalation protocols and real time crime centers.
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Prevention is a tactical advantage
Unlike Tom Cruise and his “Pre-Cogs” who foresee future murders in the movie Minority Report, BTAM uses scientifically studied practices and evidence-based methodologies to identify threatening concerns related to targeted violence. Teams use intelligence, behavioral science and certified judgment tools to help assess and prevent acts of targeted violence. What we need now is operational commitment.
BTAM is not a fringe capability. It is a tactical advantage, a public safety mandate and an ethical responsibility. For every act of targeted violence that occurs, there are opportunities that were missed — leakage that wasn’t tracked, warning behaviors that went uninvestigated, protective factors that could have been leveraged.
The most effective officers today are not just warriors or guardians — they are investigators of intent. If we train them to see what others overlook, we can turn “imminent threat” into “interrupted plan.”
BTAM training resources for law enforcement
Looking to build or expand your agency’s behavioral threat assessment program? These resources provide training, tools and guidance:
- Department of Homeland Security – Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Programs
- FBI – Making Prevention a Reality guide and training framework
- U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) – research, case studies and operational guides
- Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP) – training, certification and networking for BTAM practitioners
Tactical takeaway
When patrol officers treat concerning behavior as the first step of an investigation — not a mental health referral — agencies gain the chance to stop violence before it happens.
How can your agency better integrate BTAM into everyday investigative practice to strengthen prevention efforts? Share below.
References
- Fein RA, Vossekuil B, Holden GA. (1995). Threat assessment: An approach to prevent targeted violence. National Institute of Justice.
- Silver J, Simons A, Craun S. (2018). A study of the pre-attack behaviors of active shooters in the United States between 2000–2013. FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit.
- Meloy JR, Hoffmann J, Guldimann A, James D. (2011). The role of warning behaviors in threat assessment: An exploration and suggested typology. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 30(3), 256–279.
- Meloy JR. (2017). The WAVR-21 V3 Manual. San Diego, CA: Specialized Training Services.
- Calhoun FS, Weston, S. W. (2015). Perspectives on threat management. Journal of Threat Assessment and Management, 2(3–4), 258–267.
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2020). Mass attacks defense: A guide for threat assessment and management teams.
About the author
Glenn Albin retired in June 2025 after a 28-year career with the San Jose (California) Police Department, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant. He specialized in investigations, special operations, and behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM). A POST Master Instructor and DHS Master Trainer, he has taught nationwide on topics including BTAM, interview and interrogation, leadership and workplace violence prevention. Glenn is the founder of GA Solutions, a consulting and training firm focused on practical threat management strategies, and is active in ASIS, ATAP and other professional associations.
