Department of Homeland Security Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant

The Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program has provided funds to establish, expand, and enhance targeted violence and terrorism prevention frameworks in Virginia. 

Highlighted headings below contain active links to the trainings currenlty available. Please follow the links to register for training.

A comprehensive approach will lay the foundation to:

• Raise awareness of violent extremism as a source of targeted violence and of the process of radicalization to violence.
• Raise awareness of risk factors for mobilization to violence and of protective factors against targeted violence including that linked to extremist ideologies.
• Educate citizens about the “bystander effect” and about the importance of Suspicious Activity Reporting to community violence prevention.
• Educate citizens about how to recognize concerning, aberrant or threatening behaviors.
• Educate citizens about resources that are available to receive and manage information they provide about potential threat of violence in the community, and about the options for reporting information to maximize opportunities for intervention before violent incidents take place.
• Enhance the ability of citizens to take appropriate actions to engage with individuals in family, social, or professional circles, or other individuals they encounter in their day-to-day activities, provide them with assistance, refer them to appropriate resources, or refer them to law enforcement if there is a risk of imminent harm. 
• Develop systems to support multi-disciplinary behavioral threat assessment as a community public health tool and to facilitate the establishment of community-based threat assessment teams for effective intervention to interrupt potential violence.
• Build capacity to support establishment and maintenance of community-based behavioral threat assessment teams with qualified staffing.

The Department will deliver the following trainings suitable for community leaders, law enforcement, health officials and providers, and the public:

Domestic Extremism and Violent Extremism Awareness

This 1.5-day course includes a Department of Homeland Security/Fusion Center Community Awareness Briefing and an overview of Violent Extremism.  This training provides an overview of numerous domestic violent extremist groups and movements present in communities throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States that attempt to attain social or political objectives through force or violence.

A Community Approach to Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management

This training is a two-day workshop designed to provide participants with basic tools to assist them in understanding the threat assessment process.  Develop and enhance strategies for early identification, assessment, and intervention with concerning situations, and apply contemporary standards of lawful and ethical practice to prevent and mitigate harm while sustaining constitutional protections.  The course includes a practical exercise in which participants apply principles of threat assessment to the reported and observed behaviors of a fictional subject of interest.   

Legal Considerations for Community-Based Threat Assessment Teams

This 1-day training will assist members of community-based threat assessment teams to understand the legal environment within which they will work, including concepts of information sharing, confidentiality, and governmental immunities, and will assist teams in developing policies and procedures to manage legal risk associated with the threat assessment process.

Aberrant Behavior Recognition Training

This 4-hour training will equip individuals to understand concepts of concerning, aberrant, and threatening behavior, including the importance of context in examining behavior.

See Something, Say Something

This 2-hour webinar will help participants recognizing signs of radicalization to violence and become more aware of factors and behavioral changes that may suggest the risk of other forms of targeted violence. Participants will learn about the “bystander effect” and will learn about the importance of Suspicious Activity Reporting to community violence prevention. This training will enhance the ability of participants to take appropriate actions to engage with individuals in family, social, or professional circles, or other individuals they encounter in their day-to-day activities, provide them with assistance, refer them to appropriate resources, or refer them to law enforcement if there is a risk of imminent harm. 

Train the Trainer (This curriculum is under development)

This training will develop a cadre of trainers to build capacity to support training of community-based threat assessment team members in the future.

The grant also provides funding for development of a best practices guide and funding for consultant technical assistance to communities building threat assessment teams.

Program Contact

Steve Witmer – Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program Coordinator
steve.witmer@dcjs.virginia.gov
804.688.5090