Threat Assessment
The Department of Threat Assessment ensures continuous monitoring and mitigation, provides consultation and intervention methods and maintains a comprehensive documentation repository for any instances of threatening or concerning behavior exhibited by faculty, staff, or non-affiliates to safeguard the well-being of our students, faculty, staff and entire university community and ensure a secure and supportive environment for all.
A threat is defined as an expression of intent to do harm or act out violently against someone or something (including self). A threat can be spoken, written, or symbolic. Not all threats, nor those who threaten, are equal in their potential for harm, but all threats that are brought to the attention of the university will be taken seriously, evaluated and documented.
Programs facilitated out of the Department of Threat Assessment include:
The Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) evaluates concerns about faculty, staff and non-affiliates including alumni and former students who have been unenrolled for at least three semesters, as well as guests and incoming students. BIT may work with Human Resources to conduct workplace violence risk assessments for current employees based on information from non-confidential sources.
- Training and Education: Through tailored training for academic leaders, supervisors, faculty and staff, we equip our community with the tools to navigate and mitigate potentially harmful situations. Our aim is to identify, deescalate and reduce threatening and concerning activity.
- Risk Assessment: Risk Assessments are a research-based structured professional judgment tool useful for the initial triaging of the potential for threat. Risk Assessments may include but are not limited to: Structured Interview for Violence Risk Assessment (SIVRA-35), Violence Risk Assessment of the Written Word (VRAW2), Extremist Risk Intervention Scale (ERIS), Non-Clinical Assessment of Suicide (NAS) and Workplace Assessment of Violence Risk (WAVR-21).
CU Boulder has several robust processes for individuals to share concerns and request support, including several reporting options through CUPD, the Don't Ignore It website and anonymously through CU Boulder Safe2Tell.
Want to learn more? Please review additional information and resources below.
How to Report Behavior of Concern
The Threat Assessment team also works closely with non-university entities to evaluate risks occurring outside CU Boulder that have the potential to impact university stakeholders or operations. These include: