Addressing Violent Online Networks Targeting Virginia’s Youth: What Educators and Safety Leaders Need to Know

Please note: This training can be found on our Benchmark Learning Management System. To register, create your account or log in here, then either search for your desired training under “Available Training” or return to this page and click "Register" below to be taken directly to the event page. For more information or help, please refer to this page.

Description:

This training is being offered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety (VCSCS) in partnership with the Virginia Fusion Center, Virginia State Police, and Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. This virtual two-hour session will provide an overview of violent online networks targeting youth, including the “Edgesphere,” “COM,”, “764,” and the “True Crime Community.” Some recent acts of targeted violence, including school-based incidents, have been linked to individuals influenced by these networks.

Participants will receive critical insights into how these decentralized violent online networks operate, including the structure of affiliated subnetworks and groups, common narratives and symbols used to signal affiliation, and the tactics employed to recruit, manipulate, and normalize harm. The training will address the use of disturbing content, such as extreme violence, animal cruelty, and self-harm as well as coercive and psychologically abusive behaviors designed to desensitize and control vulnerable youth.

A key component of this training is helping participants recognize potential behavioral indicators and warning signs of youth involvement in violent online networks. The training will also help participants better understand how this information can inform early identification, reporting, and prevention efforts within school and community settings.

Who Should Attend:

This training is offered to individuals serving on a K-12 crisis team and school threat assessment team or the school division oversight committees as well as school security and law enforcement.

Partial In-Service Credit:

Partial In-Service Credit (PIC) for law enforcement officers will not be available.

Training Time and Details:

Training begins at 2:00 pm and ends at 4:00 pm.

Cost and Registration:

There is no registration fee to attend this training. Pre-registration is required.
Please note that the DCJS registration system does not have the capacity to sort eligible from ineligible registrants. Therefore, anyone who registers will receive a confirmation. It is the responsibility of the DCJS-assigned course coordinator to review the roster and make a final determination on acceptance into the course. Denied registrants will be notified via the email address provided during registration.