How colleges can turn behavioral concerns into coordinated support

For colleges and universities, behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM) provides a structured way to evaluate concerning behavior, connect students with appropriate support, and act when a credible risk emerges. The aim is not to label students or treat mental health challenges as evidence of dangerousness. It is to understand the context, assess the facts, and respond proportionately before a situation escalates.

Start with a process people can use

A reporting channel is only useful if a concern reaches people who know what to do next. Institutions need a clear path for receiving, documenting and triaging reports, including who reviews them, how urgency is assessed, and when the multidisciplinary team is convened. Without defined ownership, a report can sit in an inbox while relevant details remain scattered across campus departments.

The team should reflect the institution and the situation. It may include student affairs, campus security or police, counseling or other qualified mental health professionals, academic leadership, residence life and, when needed, local law enforcement. Involving law enforcement in an assessment does not automatically mean that an officer must interview or contact the student. The team can determine the appropriate role based on the circumstances.

Look for change in context

A single alarming statement or individual characteristic should not substitute for assessment. Teams need context: what has changed, how the behavior compares with the person’s usual conduct, whether multiple concerning indicators are present, and what other information can clarify the situation.

 

The discussion was sponsored by SecurityInfoWatch, Security Executive and Security Business magazines, in partnership with American School & University and the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS). 

The discussion further explored the fact that behavior representing a significant departure from one student’s norm may be typical for another. Establishing a baseline can help teams interpret concerns in context.

That context helps teams avoid relying on stereotypes or confusing distress, conflict, or a clinical diagnosis with a threat. The assessment should focus on observable behavior and the totality of available information, while respecting privacy and due process. Documentation should support continuity and appropriate intervention, not create a punitive label that follows a student without purpose.

When the concern points to a need for support, the response should connect the student with appropriate resources and establish who will follow up. When information suggests an immediate danger, the institution’s emergency procedures and law enforcement protocols apply. A defined process helps teams distinguish those paths and act with suitable urgency.

Include the full campus in the plan

Campus safety cannot be evaluated only at the main entrance. Colleges include residence halls, parking areas, libraries, classrooms, athletic facilities, student gathering spaces and locations that may be quiet or lightly staffed at certain times. A security review should consider how people move through these spaces, how concerns are reported, how information reaches decision-makers and how responders coordinate.

During the webinar, Don Massey, emphasized the need to include the security partner in the conversation and assess the campus in its entirety. That means looking beyond access control or perimeter measures to understand how security personnel, campus teams, technology, and established protocols work together across different areas.

A security partner can contribute observations and operational knowledge, but behavioral threat assessment remains a multidisciplinary institutional process. Colleges should define how contracted or in-house security shares relevant information, receives direction and coordinates with campus leadership and local responders. For more on this role, read How colleges can define security’s role in behavioral threat assessment.

Practice before a concern becomes a crisis

Teams need opportunities to practice the assessment process, not only meet when a case arises. Scenario discussions can help participants clarify responsibilities, identify information gaps and test how a concern moves from report to review, intervention and follow-up. Coordination with local first responders also help campus personnel understand one another’s roles during an emergency.

Practice should fit the institution’s size, resources and campus culture. Colleges can build regional or external partnerships where internal capacity is limited and use supportive communication to help students understand how to raise concerns. Security measures and procedures are more likely to earn trust when the campus community understands their purpose and has a voice in how they are implemented.

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Behavioral threat assessment is most effective when it is part of a wider culture of care and readiness. A clear reporting path, informed team, contextual assessment and rehearsed coordination help colleges respond to concerns with both urgency and fairness.  

To discuss how GardaWorld Security can support a coordinated campus security program

View the webinar replay