When an officer enters law enforcement, he or she is aware that danger is part of the profession, but most never expect to encounter a targeted violence or active threat incident.

These terms are broad enough to take many forms in our work, but here I am describing situations where a perpetrator carries out a violent attack on a particular target. The method of violence and victims targeted often vary, but any community rocked by an active threat incident suffers immensely in the aftermath. The trauma is not limited to the general community—as the heroes who run toward the destruction, first responders are deeply affected by active threat situations, sometimes to the point where officers cannot return to the job.

In the past decade, the United States has witnessed an epidemic of targeted violence incidents. Here, they are usually in the form of mass shooting attacks, but active threats can take many forms. I have learned in my travels outside of the United States over the past several years that “active shooter” is not the typical attack in other countries. Law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom and other countries find themselves responding to a different type of threat—attacks with explosives, knives, hatchets, and motor vehicles.

In March 2017, an attacker drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before later crashing into a fence at Parliament. He then stabbed and killed a police officer before being shot and killed. Six dead, forty injured.

Three months later, three attackers in a van drove into pedestrians on London Bridge. The attackers then exited the vehicle and began stabbing people in pubs and restaurants before being shot and killed by police. Eleven dead, forty-eight injured.

Two weeks later, an attacker drove a van into pedestrians near Finsbury Park Mosque. One dead, eleven injured.

Two months later, a man was arrested outside of Buckingham Palace. When officers challenged him, he reached for a sword inside his car.

And, one month after that, a homemade bomb was detonated on a tube train, injuring 22 people.

These are all examples from just one country of the types of attacks that are occurring all across the globe.

It is evident that active threats show up in many ways, and we must be prepared for all possibilities. Over recent years, terrorists and other attackers have changed their methods of attack, as well as their targets. There are important lessons to be learned from these horrific attacks that have occurred around the globe that can be beneficial to us all.

Last year, after a rash of mass shootings, IACP Immediate Past President Paul M. Cell convened a task force of IACP members who have the unfortunate experience of responding to targeted violence incidents. He asked them to delve into the causes of and responses to active threat incidents. This task force has done tremendous work, and I thank the members for their commitment to the IACP and to furthering the field of policing.

The IACP is currently building a resource webpage that will address all aspects of an active threat incident. There is a plethora of resources in the field on targeted violence and active threats, and the IACP will soon be offering these in one convenient location so that police executives everywhere can keep their communities and officers safe.

This clearinghouse will assist agencies as they work to prevent targeted violence in their communities, to respond effectively to a targeted violence attack as it is occurring, and to guide their agencies and communities through recovery in the wake of such tragedies. Under my leadership, the IACP will continue to work to better understand active threat incidents and close the gap between compiling information and developing practical solutions.

It should be our goal to enhance law enforcement’s role in active threat incidents. The more state, local, tribal, and national law enforcement agencies commit to monitoring intelligence, the better the chance we will have at preventing attacks. Agencies should prioritize building partnerships with local institutions and organizations to facilitate information sharing when community members become aware of concerning behavior or potential attackers. Once this information is shared, we must work to actively engage in threat assessment procedures, developing multidisciplinary teams that further connect law enforcement to personnel within the community. It is through these means that we can better identify and manage risk. We do not want the expectation of us to be solely that we will arrive on scene after the violence has taken place—we want to be involved long before that.

“The more state, local, tribal, and national law enforcement agencies commit to monitoring intelligence, the better chance we will have at preventing attacks.”

Though the United States struggles mostly with gun violence, global incidents of targeted violence show us that many objects can be used as weapons if an attacker is motivated enough. Vehicle rammings and sharp-edge weapon attacks require unique responses from law enforcement. As part of the resource webpage on targeted violence, the IACP will highlight international incidents and provide lessons learned from multiple types of active threat scenarios. Although the weapons of choice can vary, we know that the motives and ideologies behind attacks tend to have similarities across borders. If law enforcement enhances efforts to identify potential threats and to share information with all relevant community partners, we will strengthen our ability to prevent attacks before they occur.

I am proud to lead an association of more than 30,000 brave officers of the law. You recognize the potential for danger in the profession that you have chosen, and yet, every day, you choose to continue to serve our communities. For that, I thank you. 🛡

Please cite as

Steven R. Casstevens, “Preventing and Responding to Active Threats,” President’s Message, Police Chief 87, no. 6 (June): 6–7.