CCSO and other agencies participate in USSS threat assessment training - to protect against school violence
Photo courtesy of CCSO.
Citrus County, Florida - On Thursday, July 27, 2023, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) hosted the "Enhanced School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model," a training program presented by the United States Secret Service (USSS) at the Citrus County Sheriff's Office Emergency Operations Center in Lecanto, Florida.
This crucial, informative training - with the goal of protecting schools against threats - was attended by the following:
CCSO School Resource Deputies (SRD)
Seven Rivers School Safety Deputy
CCSO Behavioral Health Unit
CCSO Major Crimes Detectives
CCSO Intelligence Analysis Unit
CCSO Community Crimes Detectives
CCSO Administration
CCSO Patrol
CCSO Emergency Management Division
Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
Marion County Sheriff's Office
LifeStream
Citrus County School District
Solid Rock Christian Academy
Inverness Christian Academy
"This training is critical for our team, to be fully prepared in the event of a school threat, and has equipped our SRDs, detectives, and support staff with the knowledge they need to assess potential threats, in order to negate them before they happen," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "I am proud of our partnership with the USSS and would like to thank them for coming to present this information to us today, so we can keep our school children and faculty safe and secure."
The training included a statistical review of research conducted on previous attacks, and compared information such as where the attacks occurred, the types of schools targeted, and whether the attacks were averted or completed. The training also looked at how different threats have been formulated, such as how the weapons were selected and procured, how the attack location and date was chosen, how the victims were selected, and how first responders were diverted through planned misdirection.
The training presented the USSS's threat assessment model, which identifies potential threats, shows how to assess students who exhibit concerning or threatening behavior, and explains how to intervene, as early as possible.
The training was led by the USSS National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC), which has conducted studies on the behaviors of those who have committed acts of targeted school violence, in an effort to prevent future tragedies. The NTAC has found that this research, combined with establishing threat assessment teams and consistently encouraging individuals to report any concerning behaviors, can help prevent targeted violence at schools.
If you see or hear about any possible threats of targeted violence, please report them immediately to your local law enforcement office by calling 9-1-1. Never wait to report a potential threat - any information is useful and may prevent a potential tragedy.