Fairfield Police Department Hosted Threat Assessment Symposium For Town/School Employees

Press release from the Fairfield Police Department:

FAIRFIELD, CT — On August 25, 2022, the Fairfield Police Department hosted a Threat Assessment Symposium at the Sacred Heart University Community Theater in Fairfield, CT.

The event was tailored for Town of Fairfield department heads, employees, emergency personnel, school administrators, teachers, counselors & mental health specialists, community partners and any others who may potentially be involved in risk detection/management.

The symposium featured a presentation from the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC).

For over 20 years, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) has conducted research on the thinking and behaviors of those who commit acts of targeted school violence, in an effort to prevent future tragedies. Key findings from this research indicate that establishing multidisciplinary behavioral threat assessment teams and encouraging the reporting of concerning behaviors are critical steps in the prevention of targeted violence.

The presentation explored relevant past incidents, as well as findings and recommendations from NTAC’s latest research on targeted school violence and averted school attacks in the United States. It also focused on how communities can use a multidisciplinary approach to identify, assess, and intervene with students exhibiting concerning or threatening behaviors as early as possible.

Following the NTAC presentation were local presentations and discussions on how to best incorporate NTAC’s recommendations and how we can apply their research specifically in the Town of Fairfield. Fairfield Police personnel discussed best practices in how to prepare for and respond to threats and critical incidents, including planning, operations and keeping the public informed. In addition, public relations professionals from JGPR, a public relations firm which works exclusively with police and fire departments, school districts and local government, joined in our discussions and presented on how to effectively communicate before, during and after a crisis.

In attendance was leadership and supervision from both the Fairfield Police and Fire Departments, department heads and staff from each Town department, school officials and board of education members, Fairfield First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick and staff, Fairfield Police Commissioners, and representatives from both Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University.

We thank everyone for their attendance and participation and look forward to future discussions and collaboration as a result of Thursday’s event.

This press release was produced by the Fairfield Police Department. The views expressed here are the author’s own.