Findings; sense of Congress

(a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) On February 14, 2018, 17 individuals were murdered in a senseless and violent attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida, a school whose mascot is the eagle. (2) These individuals—Alaina Petty, Alex Schachter, Alyssa Alhadeff, Cara Loughran, Carmen Schentrup, Gina Montalto, Helena Ramsay, Jaime Guttenberg, Joaquin Oliver, Luke Hoyer, Martin Duque, Meadow Pollack, Nicholas Dworet, Peter Wang, Aaron Feis, Chris Hixon, and Scott Beigel—lived lives of warmth, joy, determination, service, and love, and their loss is mourned by the Nation. (3) Like many attackers, the shooter in that attack exhibited patterns of threatening and concerning behavior prior to the massacre that were alarming and that should have alerted law enforcement and other Federal, State, and local officials about the potential for violence. (4) Acts of targeted violence, including the attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, are preventable. (5) Lives were saved because of the brave and exemplary conduct of many students, teachers, and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, including several of the victims of the attack. (6) The National Threat Assessment Center of the United States Secret Service (referred to in this Act as the Center) was established in 1998 to conduct research on all forms of targeted violence, including attacks targeting government officials, government facilities, workplaces, houses of worship, K–12 schools, universities, and mass attacks in public spaces. (7) Research published by the Center on targeted violence has shown that— (A) most incidents were planned in advance; (B) the attackers’ behavior gave some indication that the individual was planning, or at least contemplating, an attack; (C) most attackers had already exhibited a pattern of behavior that elicited concern by other people in their lives; and (D) prior to the attack, someone associated with the attacker, such as a family member or peer, often knew the attack was to likely to occur. (8) Through their research, the Center developed the behavioral threat assessment model of the United States Secret Service for preventing targeted violence, which includes a 3-step process— (A) identifying individuals who are exhibiting threatening or concerning behaviors that indicate they may pose a risk of violence; (B) assessing whether the individual poses a risk, based on articulable facts; and (C) risk posed by the individualized proactive and preventive measures. (9) The behavioral threat assessment model works of the United States Secret Service most effectively when all the relevant parties, including local law enforcement, mental health professionals, workplace managers, school personnel, and members of the community, are part of a comprehensive protocol to identify, assess, and manage a potential threat. (10) The primary goal of behavioral threat assessment programs is to prevent targeted violence, with an emphasis on providing early intervention and connecting individuals exhibiting threatening or concerning behavior to existing community resources for support. (11) Early intervention is a proven and effective way to prevent violent conduct that would otherwise harm others and necessitate more punitive action, including criminal penalties. (12) The parties involved need the appropriate research, guidance, training, and tools to establish the appropriate mechanisms for implementing this type of preventative approach. (13) In K–12 schools, a behavioral threat assessment is a proactive approach to identify, assess, and provide age-appropriate interventions, resources, and supports for students who display behavior that elicits concerns for the safety of themselves or others. (14) There has been a 79 percent decline in juvenile arrests in K–12 school communities that have received training from the Center, thus successfully diverting youth away from the criminal justice system. (15) The demand from local communities throughout the United States for behavioral threat assessment trainings has significantly increased. Since its inception, the Center has provided over 2,575 training sessions to over 273,000 attendees. (16) From fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year 2022, the Center has experienced a 117 percent increase in demand for training sessions, with 5 times as many participants. (17) The Center additionally provides consultation and follow-up engagements with government agencies, law enforcement, schools, and other organizations with public safety responsibilities. From fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year 2022 the Center has seen a 553 percent increase in consultation activities. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that a fact-based behavioral threat assessment approach, involving local law enforcement, mental health professionals, workplace managers, school personnel, other public safety officials, and members of the community, is one of the most effective ways to prevent targeted violence impacting communities across the country, and is a fitting memorial to those whose lives were taken in the February 14, 2018, attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and those who heroically acted to preserve the lives of their friends, students, and colleagues.