Research Roundup: Preventing Threats, Providing Care

Kyle Ward, Ph.D., takes an in-depth look at UNC’s threat assessment and response systems

Research Roundup is a series that features Q&As with UNC faculty to share insights about their research in an approachable, bite-sized format. Each installment highlights the questions driving their work, why it matters and how it connects to broader issues in our community and beyond.

When it comes to the field of criminal justice, there are plenty of pop culture portrayals out there. Some of the most prominent are long-running shows like NCIS or Law & Order, where a crack team of tough-as-nails investigators work against the clock to catch major thieves, serial killers, crime lords and more.

And while those cases might make for exciting television, they’re far from the only instances where the study of criminology and criminal justice can be vital in saving and improving lives.

Kyle Ward, Ph.D., professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, recently put his investigative expertise to use in an in-depth analysis of the University of Northern Colorado’s (UNC) threat assessment and response systems.

“We’re here as a community to care for one another; if somebody is struggling, it hurts us all. The more we pay attention and look out for one another, the stronger our community will be.”

-Kyle Ward, Ph.D.

In this month’s Research Roundup, Ward discusses his research findings, recommendations for the future and the vital, behind-the-scenes efforts of some of the university’s most caring individuals.

Over the past year, I conducted a university-wide evaluation of UNC’s Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) and Concern and Respond Effectively (CARE) team systems, supported by Colorado’s Preventing Identity Based Violence program.

Following a series of campus violence incidents nationally, institutions have increasingly relied on multidisciplinary teams, such as CARE or BTAM teams, to assess and mitigate potential threats. UNC has maintained a CARE team for years, but there has been recent interest to ensure its protocols, coordination and clarity of mission are in line with national best practices.

The purpose of the project was to take a close look at how UNC currently identifies and supports students or others who may be experiencing significant distress or may present behaviors of concern. This was accomplished through observations and over 26 interviews with national experts and UNC staff.

I wanted to make sure that individuals at UNC, whether they are students, faculty or staff, who are exhibiting any kind of concerning behaviors in these specific areas are able to receive the kinds of services they need.

The CARE team exists to help students who are going through a hard time or for those who might need an extra level of support. There are different forms online that can be submitted and lead to check-ins or other methods of outreach to those students.

The team plays a vital role in identifying and responding to concerning behaviors. They meet every week, and while they’re usually carrying a pretty heavy caseload, they’re excellent at evaluating areas of concern and doing the outreach that’s needed.

The CARE team primarily focuses on areas of general well-being intervention, but BTAM is the system that is in place for when higher-risk threats like mass shootings or other harmful incidents are of potential concern.

BTAM is there to ensure there are mechanisms in place in case there is some sort of overt threat made on campus. In those cases, there’s a separate immediate response team that would jump in and work to mitigate the active incident.

The overall goal is to have a documented, robust system in place to catch as many instances of potential concern as possible as early as possible.

There’s a well-documented theory that mass shooters and other individuals who enact high-profile incidents don’t just snap one day and decide to act — they plan. It’s called the pathway of intended violence.

Equally well-documented is what we call “leakage” where these individuals tell someone else about their plans or feelings. It might come in the form of dark jokes or letting something slip to a friend or via an online message board.

When a university has systems of care and threat assessment in place, those individuals who are at risk of being or are already on the pathway of intended violence can more easily get the care they need. Through something as simple as a check-in from the CARE team, a lot can be accomplished; you never know what might make the key difference.

I’ve worked extensively in the past evaluating criminal justice systems and risk assessment from a pre-trial standpoint. Working with my colleague, Victoria Terranova, we developed the Colorado Pre-Trial Assessment Tool Revised, which is now used to help judges determine bail and bond in many Colorado jurisdictions and some outside the state, as well as who might be a good fit for community corrections.

While it isn’t entirely the same when it comes to threat assessment at a university level — since in criminal justice, we’re often looking at incidents after the fact, whereas here, we’re trying to intervene before anything happens — there are definite similarities.

For instance, evaluating these systems at UNC requires knowledge of risk and threat assessment. I became interested in that field around eight years ago, and that, in addition to seeing some high-profile cases like what happened in Uvalde, Texas (where 19 children and two adults were killed at an elementary school) really opened my eyes to the importance of working to ensure things like that don’t happen at UNC.

After everything was said and done, including the interviews, a full review of our policies and benchmarking with institutions across the country, the study found that UNC already has a strong and collaborative process in place. The CARE team is viewed as compassionate, well organized and deeply committed to student support, and the university has many of the core structures that effective campus threat assessment systems require.

That said, the findings show that while UNC’s foundation is solid, there are opportunities to expand and refine certain areas, so the university can fully align with best practices in the field.

Recommendations include creating a clearer distinction between general student support cases and higher risk behavioral threat cases, adding a dedicated threat manager position, strengthening the use of validated assessment tools, improving faculty and staff training on recognizing and reporting concerning behavior and adopting more standardized protocols for documentation, follow up and case closure.

I don’t want to overwhelm anyone with more trainings, but I do think there is a need at this university for knowledge about the practices of the CARE team, threat assessment and what to do if you’re in a situation where you feel the need to report something.

We’d also like to increase awareness about the CARE team and their efforts so that more people can support them and take advantage of the services they provide. They do so much great work behind the scenes.

The overall goal of these recommendations is to build on UNC’s existing strengths, enhance prevention and early intervention efforts and continue to foster a safe, supportive and proactive campus environment.

At a baseline level, it comes down to attention and intention.

Whether you’re a student who notices something off about a friend’s mood or behavior, a resident assistant who sees something in a residence hall or a professor who sees a marked change in a student’s behavior, attentiveness, participation, etc, it falls to us to say something. That can be as simple as, “hey, I’m just checking in. I want you to know that there are resources available if you need help.”

Or, for those who don’t feel comfortable with that, they can send a concern report to the Dean of Students’ Office to then have someone reach out and check in on them.

The whole idea is that we’re here as a community to care for one another; if somebody is struggling, it hurts us all. The more we pay attention and look out for one another, the better and stronger our community will be.

And it’s important to note that it’s not really about looking out for signs that, for example, someone might commit an act of violence against others — it’s looking out for people’s overall well-being and being willing to help them when they’re struggling. The earlier we can get someone the care they need, the better.