Secret Service’s Mass Attack Report helps communities identify threats

WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley is urging congressional colleagues to support legislation enhancing an existing threat assessment program to prevent acts of mass violence. The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) today released its 2018 report on Mass Attacks in Public Spaces (MAPS-2018), which highlights trends in incidents of mass violence that may help identify and mitigate future risks of attacks.

“The Secret Service is uniquely positioned to evaluate and mitigate threats of violence to protect the families of current and former presidents and other high profile individuals. This same approach can be used in communities across the country to prevent tragedies before they occur. I introduced the bipartisan EAGLES Act to expand the National Threat Assessment Center’s ability to provide research and training for school administrators, faith leaders, first responders and other community officials to better understand the warning signs of potential threats. Today’s report offers a window into the critical work by the NTAC to prevent violence. Passing the EAGLES Act will ensure that more communities are equipped with this information to keep our communities safe,” Grassley said.

NTAC was created in 1998 to develop evidence-based indicators for various types of targeted violence, including school violence. NTAC’s findings can then be used to develop best practices and training to prevent future acts of violence.

Last year, Grassley introduced the bipartisan EAGLES Act, named for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mascot, to reauthorize and expand NTAC, allowing it to scale its threat assessment operations, with a particular focus on school safety. TheEAGLES Act was reintroduced in February. It establishes a national program on targeted school violence prevention and provides additional resources to expand research and training on a national scale. Through the bill's school safety initiative, the NTAC will coordinate trainings and plans with the Department of Justice and Department of Education. The bill also requires Secret Service to provide periodic progress reports to Congress.