This NIJ "Notes from the Field" article discusses how Virginia became the first State to legislatively mandate threat assessment teams.
In this article from NIJ's "Notes from the Field" series, which allows leading voices in the field to share their strategies for responding to the most pressing issues on America's streets today, Donna Michaelis, director of the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety, explains how Virginia became the first State to legislatively mandate threat assessment teams. Virginia Code states that each public institution of higher education must establish a threat assessment team that includes representatives from law enforcement, mental health professions, student affairs, human resources, and, if available, higher education counsel. The purpose of the team is to implement assessment, intervention, and action policies, such as recognition of threatening behaviors and threat reporting mechanisms. The teams are required to establish relationships with local and State law enforcement, as well as mental health agencies, to assist in assessment and intervention.