How to Develop a Threat Assessment Team

Threat-assessment teams can help businesses, schools and other types of organizations identify and deal with threats to safety. Developing an effective threat-assessment team takes careful consideration about who should be on the team, as team members should bring different experiences and professional backgrounds that will complement one another and provide a diversity of perspectives.

• 1

  Ask for volunteers from different parts of the organization to serve on the team. You want decision-makers on your team so that in case of an emergency, decisions can be made quickly without having to consult people outside the team or ask for permission to take certain necessary steps, such as having security remove a dangerous individual from the premises.

• 2

  Select individuals whose roles are a natural fit for the team, such as those with a background or interest in public safety or law enforcement, mental health and legal compliance issues. Having people from different areas within your organization serve on the team ensures that there is awareness of your threat assessment team throughout the entire organization. It also brings different perspectives to the team, which can be valuable when evaluating possible threats of varying natures.

• 3

  Appoint a point person to receive reports of possible threats. If people within your organization don't know who to report potential safety threats to, you have no way of ensuring that all safety threats will make it to your threat-assessment team's attention.

• 4

  Explain the role of all team members. Appoint one or more team members, for instance, to convene the team to discuss a report of a potential threat. Another team member can report the team's findings to school or business leaders, along with recommended actions. Another can contact the president or another key individual should drastic action become necessary after evaluating the threat.

• 5

  Create operating protocols for the team. These protocols should spell out under what conditions the team will take certain actions. A minor threat may dictate calling in a human-resource executive in a company, or a parent in a school setting, while a major threat may require calling in local law enforcement and other first-responding agencies. This document should also explain how often the team is to meet.