It’s important for officers in the field to understand the pathway to violence. This lecture discusses the importance of understanding four critical steps that build the pathway to violence, and the significance of how the nature of an officer’s job may place that officer within the timeline of a subject who is planning targeted violence.

Officers should have an understanding of how to utilize sound threat intelligence as a component in their decision-making process while remaining in line with capabilities and available resources. This lecture discusses the importance of leveraging threat intelligence as a consideration in decision-making while not making it protocol or policy.

Threat intelligence can increase officer safety capabilities while, at the same time, safeguard communities. This lecture discusses how to utilize the local intelligence center to receive threat intelligence to develop a greater understanding of criminal or violent extremist groups operating in your jurisdiction.

Threat reporting delivers the context, indicators, implications, and, most importantly, actionable guidance regarding current and emerging threats. This lecture discusses threat reporting and how line-level personnel can familiarize themselves with understanding threat reporting to leverage it toward increasing officer safety and further safeguarding their communities.

Intelligence is about understanding problems. Real intelligence is about being able to do something about those problems for which we now understand. This lecture discusses the purpose of using intelligence in the field to better understand the threats of terrorist activities and the idea that intelligence and analysis are critical components of counterterrorism efforts for line officers.

We want to ensure that officers in the field have an understanding of the terrorist threats posed against them by leveraging existing intelligence and intelligence processes available to them. This lecture introduces the different ways to define terrorism and considerations for recognizing the different types of terrorism.

“What would be the most deadly church shooting in U.S. history.” This is what officers faced as they responded to an active shooter call in the small community of La Vernia, Texas. Officer Hank Fahnert recounts his experience as one of the first responders to arrive on the scene of the Sutherland Springs church shooting. Listen as Officer Fahnert talks with retired Lieutenant Mike Madden about the day’s events, his fellow officers’ coordinated response, the importance of casualty care equipment and training, and how the effects of this event did not end at the close of business. “No matter how tough we think we are, we all have a breaking point. You have to take care of yourself after something like this.”

Just 13 years after the Columbine shooting, Colorado once again experienced a horrible targeted mass casualty event. In the early morning hours on July 20, 2012, a shooting took place at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater. Chief Dan Oates (retired) recounts his experience so that others can learn from that tragic event. Leading up to the incident, the Aurora Police Department made it a focus to work on active shooter training. This, in combination with other factors, influenced the response to the attack, including how the professionalism of his officers prevented further catastrophic events. Chief Oates talks with Joe McHale from the SLATT Program about the night’s events, his officers’ responses, and how this event affected the community as a whole. “The immediate aftermath and dealing with the wounded is the most compelling story. It still gives me chills to talk about what our cops did that night.”

Threats. Tactics. Targets. Join Major John Marley, of the New Jersey State Police, and Monte McKee with the SLATT Program, as they dive into these three categories relating to terrorism attacks. They discuss in depth the threat picture faced by state and local law enforcement, types of terrorism tactics and the trends we see today, and the different types of targets from these attacks. Additionally, they address how the future of these types of attacks is evolving with technological advances and how law enforcement is seeing an increase in the threat of cyberterrorism.

In this SLATT Podcast, Floyd Wiley, an instructor with the SLATT Program, has a conversation with Major John Marley of the New Jersey State Police about the changing nature of terrorism. They discuss how terrorist groups have decentralized and splintered into smaller groups throughout the world, which has led to shorter attack planning cycles.

It is critical for law enforcement officers to distinguish between criminal conduct and lawful speech when gathering, analyzing, and sharing information and intelligence about individuals. This lecture discusses frequently asked questions related to information collection and sovereign citizen activities.

Some sovereign citizens may engage in activities that can constitute illegal harassment or interference with your duties under the laws of your jurisdiction. This lecture discusses frequently asked questions related to sovereign citizen encounters. Always employ officer safety protocols during sovereign citizen encounters.

The more specific information you can report, the better it will be because it will make the analysis more accurate, dependable, and useful. This lecture talks about the types of information that analysts need to create actionable intelligence.

Intelligence is the outcome of the analytic process. We don’t collect intelligence; we collect information. This lecture discusses the three types of intelligence: case or investigative, tactical, and strategic.

“As he’s stepping off the curb, his gun is coming up . . . ” Officer Jesse Hartnett, a former officer with the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Police Department, was ambushed in the line of duty on January 7, 2016, and survived. It was later determined the assailant carried out the attack in the name of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Officer Hartnett sits down with SLATT facilitator, Floyd Wiley, and walks through the events leading up to the attack, his incredible story of survival, and the critical role his mind-set played in his ability to fight for his life. Officer Hartnett credits his survival and recovery from the ambush to his training and preparedness.

In this SLATT Podcast, Lieutenant Mike Madden, a lead instructor with the SLATT Program, has a conversation with Lieutenant Brian Murphy with the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Police Department. They discuss how Lieutenant Murphy’s training saved his life and the lives of many others after a domestic terrorism incident at a Sikh temple in 2012. They also talk about how training can lead you to make those split-second decisions that can ultimately mean the difference between life and death.

Understanding your role in terrorism and targeted violence can be difficult because of the uncertainty surrounding responsibilities. Listen to Monte McKee, a lead instructor with the SLATT Program, and Lieutenant Sam McGhee, a 40-year law enforcement veteran who has worked at the National Counterterrorism Center in Washington, DC, as they discuss the role of patrol officers in terrorism and targeted violence and what that looks like in a practical way.