ANSI/ASIS WVPI AA-2020 Workplace Violence and Active Assailant 8.3.2: 8.3.2 Information relevant to the threat assessment

The assessment should gather as much relevant information as possible, in two groups: factors that raise the risk of violence and factors that lower it. Risk questions include: what drives the person's statements or actions; what the person has said or shown about intentions; interest in violence or its justification, in perpetrators, weapons or extremist groups; signs of planning or preparing, for instance going near a target or place, getting past security, or observing, harassing or following a target; known or suspected mental disorder or substance abuse, symptoms such as paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, extreme agitation, despair or suicidal tendencies especially with violent content, and whether the person has acted on such beliefs; serious oppositional attitudes or conduct at work such as blaming others, entitlement, defensiveness, self-centeredness or intolerance; how anger shows and how far it is aimed at people at work; serious personal or money pressures now or soon, such as marriage breakdown, disputes over children, losing a job or standing, or a death in the family, and poor coping; history of serious conflict, violence or crime in any setting; and organizational, supervisory or team problems that contributed to or worsened the situation and shape the person's view of it. Mitigating questions include: valued family or other positive attachments; genuine remorse; positive response to defusing or limit-setting; constructive problem solving or seeking treatment or legal remedies; and which services were offered and taken up. Answers may be slow to come; the team should use caution and judgment and seek legal advice as needed so information is pursued lawfully, promptly yet thoroughly, without complicating the process or unintentionally raising the risk of violence.