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RECOGNIZE THE WARNING SIGNS. PREVENT THE THREAT.

Category: Prevention & Preparedness

  • From Awareness to Action: Huntsville and the FBI Move to Strengthen Targeted-Violence Prevention

    From Awareness to Action: Huntsville and the FBI Move to Strengthen Targeted-Violence Prevention

    A proposed Tennessee Valley partnership offers a timely example of how multidisciplinary threat assessment and coordinated information-sharing can move communities toward prevention rather than reaction.

    The Huntsville Police Department, the FBI Birmingham Field Office and local partners are moving toward a more formal, coordinated approach to identifying, assessing and managing potential threats before they escalate into acts of targeted violence.

    On August 26, 2026, the City of Huntsville announced that the City Council would consider a memorandum of understanding involving the City of Huntsville, Huntsville Police Department, Huntsville City Board of Education and the FBI Birmingham Field Office. The agreement would establish the Tennessee Valley Threat Assessment and Threat Management Team.

    As of this article’s publication, the proposal is under consideration and should not be described as a finalized program. Even at the proposal stage, however, its structure is important because it reflects a broader prevention principle: bringing information, expertise and intervention resources together before a violent act occurs.

    A Multidisciplinary Approach

    According to the City of Huntsville, the proposed team would bring law enforcement and community partners together to assess concerning behavior, coordinate threat-management efforts and connect participating agencies with appropriate resources. The framework could be applied to concerns arising in schools, workplaces, businesses and other community settings.

    That distinction matters. Threat assessment and threat management are not simply alternate names for a criminal investigation. The City’s announcement specifically states that the team would not take over or lead criminal investigations. The agency responsible for a particular case would retain ownership, while the team could provide coordinated assessment and management support.

    The FBI Birmingham Field Office could also provide threat-assessment and threat-management consultation and operational support through the FBI’s Behavioral Threat Assessment Center when requested and approved on a case-by-case basis.

    Why Coordination Matters

    Concerning behavior rarely presents itself to only one person, one department or one organization. A coworker may notice a change in behavior. A supervisor may know about a workplace conflict. A school may receive a concerning communication. Law enforcement may possess information that is not known to the institution involved. Other community resources may also have information or intervention options that matter.

    The challenge is not merely collecting information. It is determining whether separate pieces of information become more meaningful when viewed together and then deciding what response is appropriate to the circumstances.

    Effective prevention depends on recognizing concerning changes, sharing relevant information and creating a coordinated process for deciding what those changes may mean and what should happen next.

    The FBI’s Threat-Assessment Model

    The FBI describes its Behavioral Threat Assessment Center as a national-level, multiagency and multidisciplinary resource focused on preventing terrorism and targeted violence through behavior-based operational support, training and research. The Bureau’s broader Threat Assessment and Threat Management Initiative is designed to foster information-sharing and collaboration among law enforcement and community partners.

    That framework reinforces an important point: prevention is not based on a single behavior, profile or checklist. Threat assessment requires context, multiple sources of information and continuing evaluation as circumstances change.

    A “BTAP” Perspective

    The proposed Tennessee Valley team is not a Kinesic Media program, and neither the City of Huntsville nor the FBI is represented as endorsing “BTAP”. The value of this development from a “BTAP” perspective is the principle it illustrates.

    Formal threat-assessment teams depend on information reaching them. That information often begins with ordinary observation: someone notices that behavior has changed, that a pattern has shifted, or that circumstances now deserve additional attention.

    “BTAP” Training is built around strengthening that first layer of awareness. It does not ask employees to diagnose people or conduct threat investigations. It helps participants become better observers, recognize meaningful behavioral changes and understand when something may need to be brought to the attention of those responsible for assessment and intervention.

    A sophisticated threat-management process can only evaluate what becomes known. Building awareness throughout an organization can help create the pathway by which concerning information is recognized, communicated and placed in the hands of professionals equipped to evaluate it.

    Prevention Is a Process

    There is no single program, team or training course that can guarantee an act of targeted violence will be prevented. Responsible prevention requires multiple layers: awareness, reporting, information-sharing, assessment, management, intervention and, when necessary, law-enforcement action.

    What Huntsville’s proposed Tennessee Valley Threat Assessment and Threat Management Team demonstrates is the growing recognition that communities do not have to wait for violence before taking concerning behavior seriously. The earlier relevant information can be recognized, shared and evaluated, the more options may remain available for a measured and appropriate response.

    Sources and Further Reading

    Editorial note: This article discusses publicly announced prevention efforts for educational and informational purposes. Kinesic Media LLC is not affiliated with the Tennessee Valley Threat Assessment and Threat Management Team, and no endorsement of Kinesic Media LLC or “BTAP” by the City of Huntsville, Huntsville Police Department, Huntsville City Board of Education or Federal Bureau of Investigation is stated or implied.

  • Building a Reporting Culture: Five Practical Steps Before a Concern Becomes a Crisis

    Prevention & Preparedness

    Building a Reporting Culture: Five Practical Steps Before a Concern Becomes a Crisis

    “See something, say something” only works when people know what to report, where to report it, and what the organization will do with the information.

    An organization can tell employees, students, members, or visitors to “say something” when they notice a concern. But unless people know what to report, where to report it, and what happens next, the slogan may not produce useful information.

    The FBI’s 2025 active-shooter report included examples of potentially averted attacks that came to attention through observations and tips. DHS and U.S. Secret Service guidance likewise emphasize reporting systems, multidisciplinary assessment, and structured follow-up as important parts of targeted-violence prevention.

    Five Steps Organizations Can Take

    1. Give people one obvious way to report concerns

    A reporting system should be easy to find and simple to explain. Depending on the organization, that may be a dedicated phone number, email address, web form, anonymous reporting system, supervisor channel, school resource officer, security office, or other clearly identified point of contact. Avoid making people guess which department owns the problem.

    2. Teach people to report behavior—not labels

    A useful report describes what was observed: the words used, actions taken, changes noticed, dates, locations, circumstances, and other specific facts. Labels such as “crazy,” “dangerous,” or “suspicious” provide less useful information and can introduce bias.

    3. Make clear that uncertainty is acceptable

    People often remain silent because they are afraid of overreacting or getting someone in trouble. Reporting should be framed as sharing information for evaluation—not declaring that someone is guilty or dangerous. The person making a report does not have to complete the threat assessment.

    4. Put a multidisciplinary process behind the reporting channel

    A reporting mechanism is only the front door. Organizations need a process for reviewing concerns, gathering relevant facts, determining urgency, documenting decisions, and involving the appropriate professionals. DHS describes behavioral threat assessment and management as a systematic process of identifying, inquiring, assessing, and managing potential threats.

    5. Close the cultural gap

    People are more likely to report concerns when leadership demonstrates that reports are taken seriously, handled responsibly, and not automatically treated as disciplinary or criminal matters. In many cases, the appropriate response may involve support, conflict resolution, supervision, mental or behavioral health resources, policy enforcement, security measures, law enforcement, or a combination of interventions.

    What Should Be Reported?

    Organizations should tailor guidance to their environment, but examples can include direct or indirect threats, unusual fixation on violence, marked behavioral changes, escalating grievances, concerning communications, planning or preparation activity, attempts to obtain prohibited access, repeated boundary violations, or combinations of behaviors that create concern.

    Do Not Turn Examples Into a Checklist

    The presence of one concerning behavior does not establish intent to commit violence. Reporting allows trained or designated personnel to evaluate behavior in context. It should not become a shortcut for profiling people who are different, unpopular, distressed, or simply unusual.

    Know the Difference Between a Concern and an Emergency

    A prevention reporting system does not replace emergency procedures. If violence is occurring, a weapon is present, or there is an immediate threat to life, people should follow the organization’s emergency plan and contact emergency services as appropriate. Threat assessment is designed to create opportunities earlier in the process; emergency response addresses imminent danger.

    A Simple Test for Your Organization

    Ask five people in different roles the same question: “If you became concerned about someone’s behavior tomorrow, exactly how would you report it?”

    If you receive five different answers—or no answer at all—you have identified a prevention gap that can be fixed.

    How BTAP Supports the Human Side of Prevention

    Policies and reporting channels work only when people recognize that information may matter. BTAP is designed to strengthen awareness of observable behavior, meaningful changes, Inside and Outside Threats, and confrontational situations so participants are better prepared to notice when something deserves additional attention.

    Sources & Further Reading

    Kinesic Media provides these links for educational reference. External publications remain the work of their respective agencies and organizations.

  • Threat Awareness Is Not Profiling: Why Behavior, Change, and Context Matter

    BTAP Perspective

    Threat Awareness Is Not Profiling: Why Behavior, Change, and Context Matter

    Responsible behavioral threat awareness is not about finding a ‘type’ of person. It is about recognizing meaningful information and understanding it in context.

    Behavioral threat awareness is sometimes misunderstood as an attempt to identify what a dangerous person “looks like.” That is not the purpose—and it is not how responsible threat assessment works.

    Research and guidance from the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center and the Department of Homeland Security repeatedly emphasize that there is no useful profile of the person who will commit targeted violence. Characteristics such as appearance, age, occupation, personality type, political belief, or a single unusual behavior do not provide a reliable shortcut to predicting violence.

    Behavior Over Profile

    The useful question is not, “Does this person fit a type?” It is, “What behavior is occurring, what has changed, what is the context, and does the information warrant additional attention?”

    Why Change Matters

    People establish patterns. They have ordinary routines, communication styles, relationships, coping mechanisms, work habits, interests, and ways of reacting to stress. A change from that established pattern can sometimes provide more useful information than the behavior viewed in isolation.

    A statement, purchase, argument, absence, online post, fixation, grievance, or change in demeanor may mean very little by itself. The same information can become more significant when combined with other facts, when it represents a marked change, or when it appears within a developing pattern of planning, preparation, escalation, or communicated intent.

    Threat Assessment Is Not Diagnosis

    Behavioral threat assessment is also not a substitute for clinical diagnosis, and mental illness should not be treated as synonymous with violence. DHS describes behavioral threat assessment and management as a systematic process for identifying, inquiring into, assessing, and managing potential threats, often through multidisciplinary teams.

    That process can involve education, law enforcement, mental and behavioral health, social services, human resources, security, faith communities, and other professionals depending on the setting. The purpose is to assemble relevant information, assess concern in context, and determine appropriate intervention or management strategies.

    Awareness Creates an Opportunity—Not a Conclusion

    The presence of concerning behavior does not prove that violence will occur. In fact, many behaviors associated with past attackers are also displayed by people who never become violent. That is why isolated observations should not become labels.

    At the same time, dismissing every concern because no single behavior is conclusive creates the opposite problem. The value of awareness is that it creates an opportunity to ask better questions, gather facts, connect information that may otherwise remain separated, and determine whether intervention is needed.

    The Practical Standard

    A useful behavioral-awareness mindset can be summarized in four words: behavior, change, context, and communication.

    Behavior: What is actually being observed or communicated?
    Change: Is this different from the person’s established pattern?
    Context: What circumstances make the information more or less significant?
    Communication: Has the concern reached the people who are responsible for assessing and managing it?

    Where BTAP Fits

    BTAP is designed to strengthen that first layer: observation and awareness. It does not ask participants to diagnose people, predict violence, or make clinical judgments. It asks them to become more attentive to behavior, changes, context, Inside and Outside Threats, and situations in which unnecessary confrontation may increase risk.

    Prevention rarely begins with certainty. More often, it begins when someone notices that something deserves a closer look.

    Sources & Further Reading

    Kinesic Media provides these links for educational reference. External publications remain the work of their respective agencies and organizations.

  • FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — August 23, 2026: Kinesic Media Officially Offers Behavioral Threat Assessment Prevention (BTAP) Training

    Kinesic Media News

    Kinesic Media LLC Announces Availability of Behavioral Threat Assessment Prevention Training

    BTAP provides organization-focused online training in behavioral awareness, threat recognition, and confrontational avoidance.

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — August 23, 2026

    Kinesic Media LLC has announced the availability of Behavioral Threat Assessment Prevention — BTAP — an online training program designed to strengthen awareness of observable behavior, meaningful behavioral change, potential threat indicators, and practical principles intended to help organizations recognize concerns before they escalate.

    BTAP is built on more than four decades of behavioral principles originally developed for investigative and law-enforcement applications and adapted for modern organizational environments. The training focuses on awareness and observation rather than profiling or clinical diagnosis.

    The program addresses four core areas: Inside Threats, Outside Threats — Part 1, Outside Threats — Part 2, and Confrontational Avoidance. Participants complete four video-based lessons and corresponding knowledge checks, followed by a printable Certificate of Achievement upon successful completion of the course requirements.

    Training Built for Organizations

    BTAP is offered as business-to-business training for organizations whose people, facilities, or missions can be affected by targeted violence, threatening behavior, or escalating confrontation. Potential applications include education, law enforcement and corrections, public utilities, places of worship, transportation and port environments, gaming, government facilities, military installations, and other security-sensitive workplaces.

    The online format allows authorized participants to complete the training without travel and with minimal disruption to normal operations. Course access is provided through individual enrollment and secure participant login.

    A Prevention-Focused Approach

    Kinesic Media developed BTAP around a straightforward principle: effective prevention begins before an emergency response is required. The course emphasizes recognizing observable behavior, changes from established patterns, context, and circumstances that may warrant additional attention.

    The training does not teach participants to diagnose individuals or to assume that a single behavior predicts violence. Instead, it encourages a disciplined awareness of behavior in context and reinforces the importance of noticing meaningful changes, gathering information, and responding appropriately within an organization’s policies and responsibilities.

    Availability

    Organizations interested in BTAP training can learn more at KinesicMedia.com, review the Introducing BTAP presentation, or contact Kinesic Media for enrollment and organizational training information.

    About Kinesic Media LLC

    Kinesic Media LLC develops and provides Behavioral Threat Assessment Prevention training. Its work centers on practical behavioral awareness, threat recognition, prevention, and confrontational avoidance for organizations seeking to strengthen the human component of safety and security.

    Media Contact

    Kinesic Media LLC
    Website: KinesicMedia.com
    Email: info@kinesicmedia.com
    Phone: (205) 296-6997