Safety Tip: Fake Babysitting Ad Ends in Murder

Incident
This past week Michael John Anderson was sentenced to life in prison for killing Katherine Ann Olson. According to an Associated Press article, Anderson "lured" Olson to his house with a fake online ad looking for a babysitter. Olson, 24, answered the ad, which Anderson posted on the web site Craigslist.com. When she arrived at Anderson's house, he shot and killed her. Prosecutors said that Anderson lured Olson to his home because he wanted to know 'what it felt like to kill.'

Analysis
This terrible tragedy underscores the importance of checking out anyone you meet on the Internet, but the same goes for any classified ads in the newspaper or displayed in your local grocery store. The need to be vigilant is especially true for women. When answering an advertisement - whether for a babysitter, a cheap sofa, or a date -- it is important to ask probing questions, check references where possible, and use the buddy system. Bring a friend with you to check out that sofa or babysitting job. A large male friend can be particularly useful for such excursions (plus he can help carry the sofa). And if a potential job involves going to someone's home - for babysitting, mowing the lawn, etc. - you are just as entitled to check out your potential employer as they are to vet you. Ask for names and contact information of people who have worked at their home before - and then call those people and ask about their experiences. Be sure to ask whether they still do work there -- and if not, why not.

For dates, you can be more discreet but still be safe. First, always meet the person in a public place, such as a restaurant or a bar. Don't let ever let someone you don't know pick you up at your home. And remember, no matter how long you may have been communicating with this person online and by phone, this is still somoene you don't know. Nor should you agree to meet the person at their home - even if they argue that it's on the way or claim they have no means of transportation. If they get pushy, take that as a big red flag and forget the date altogether.

Once you choose a public place to meet, tell a few friends where you are going and ask one or two of them to drop by and make sure you are ok. Your date doesn't have to know they are there; your friends can sit and have a drink at the bar and just make sure you look safe. Or you can develop a subtle hand signal to let them know you're okay. And if you're going to change locations, send your friends a text message to let them know where you're going and how long you'll be there. At the end of the date, say goodbye at the restaurant or bar and get in a cab by yourself; or wait until your date has gone before walking to your car. If you feel unsafe for any reason - or if your date gets pushy about driving you home or walking you to your car, that's a big red flag too. Go back into the restaurant and ask them to call you a cab, or ask the bouncer at the bar for help. And you can always call that friend to come pick you up. Just offer to return the favor some day.

Above all, trust your intuition when meeting someone you don't know - whether through a online ad, newspaper classified, or grocery store homemade sign. If any part of the situation feels wrong - even if you can't put your finger on why -- chances are high you're right. Get out of there quickly and safely and don't go back for any reason. If you forget something like your purse or cellphone, you can always ask a friend to go back with you.

School Stops Bullying and Helps Bullies

There is a great article on abcnews.com today about how one school in Ely, Nevada tackled a very tough bullying problem with impressive results. The problem had gotten so bad at White Pine Middle School that students were opting to attend a different school 40 miles away, and many who stayed were miserable. After an analysis, the school figured out that the same eight students were behind most of the bullying. The school tackled the issue by working directly with the bullies to find out what personal problems were behind their aggressive and tormenting behavior. The school found ways to help address the bullies' problems, which stemmed largely from problems at home, and were able to dramatically improve the school's overall climate. Students who had left to attend the other school returned because they felt safe again.

Addressing and eradicating bullying is important for several reasons. First, the experience of being bullied can create severe problems for victims, including depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. Second, we know from research that the majority of students who have carried out school shootings felt bullied by others before their attacks - so addressing bullying may well help stop other problems. Finally, we know from other research that bullies often score the highest on tests for depression. Therefore, finding ways to address bullies' problems - as White Pine Middle School did - can help erase the problem for good. The story is a great example of how schools can tackle the problem of bullying head on - and without necessarily having to spend a lot in time or money to do so. White Pine Middle School should be applauded for a job well done.

Classic Warning Signs in Germany School Shooting

Incident
On Wednesday, Tim Kretschmer, a 17 year old boy, returned to the high school where he'd graduated last year and opened fire, killing nine students and three teachers at his former school in Winnenden, Germany. According to an article at TimesOnline, it now appears that Kretschmer also shot a man, believed to be the gardener, outside of the psychiatric clinic where he's been sent for treatment months earlier. Several media outlets, including the New York Times and the Washington Post, have reported that Kretschmer was being treated for depression last year and had been referred to a clinic in Winnenden, but stopped going for treatment after only a few sessions. After killing the man outside the Winnenden psychiatric clinic immediately after his attack at the Albertville school, Kretschmer then commandeered a car, taking the driver hostage, and shot and killed two other individuals at a car dealership in a nearby town before killing himself. This attack came a day after a highly-publicized rampage shooting spread across two towns in southern Alabama (see "AL Shooting Planned, not Impulsive" below, posted on 03.11.2009).


Analysis
From the information that is emerging about this attack, it appears that Kretschmer showed several classic warning signs that most previous school shooters showed prior to their attacks. In the Safe School Initiative -- the joint U.S. Secret Service/U.S. Department of Education study of school shootings that my colleagues and I conducted -- we discovered several major findings that were common among most school shooters. So far, news reports about the investigation indicate that Kretschmer's behavior was similar to that of previous school shooters in several key areas. Below are listed some of the major findings of the Safe School Initiative and how Kretschmer's behavior compares:

Safe School Initiative Findings:

School shootings are rarely impulsive. Instead, they are typically thought out and planned in advance.
So far several articles have reported that Kretschmer carried over 250 bullets on him when he entered the school and started his attack. This suggests possible planning for a large-scale attack. It will be worth watching to see if the police investigation yields any more specific information about planning.

School shooters often tell others about their ideas or plans for harm in advance of their attack.
Initial reports indicated that Kretschmer had warned of his attack in a chat room post six hours before his shooting. A teenager from Bavaria reported to his father that he has received a post from a boy in Germany about his plans to go back to his former school carry out an attack. In the post Kretschmer also reportedly said that he was sick of life. More recent reports, however, say that authorities have become concerned about the veracity of the posts and think they may be fake. Even if these posts turn out to be fake, I would not be surprised if the investigation eventually reveals that Kretschmer talked about his intentions with others - or posted them somewhere - in the days and weeks before Wednesday's shooting.

School shooters rarely direct threats to their targets in advance of doing any harm.
In the reports so far, there has been no mention of Kretschmer threatening anyone he targeted prior to his shooting. It is possible that the investigation will reveal that Kretschmer threatened some of this targets before the shooting - but I believe it is more likely that investigators will find communications with OTHER people - rather than any potential targets - about the harm he intended to carry out.

Most school shooters had considered or attempted suicide prior to their attacks. Many had been experiencing desperation or despair.
Several news reports have mentioned that Kretschmer was being treated for depression, and that he had terminated his treatment after only a few sessions. He also killed himself in the course of his attack. In addition, in Kretschmer's alleged the chat room post he was reported as saying that he didn't want to live anymore. Even if it turns out that the post was fake or did not exist, the fact that Kretschmer had been diagnosed with depression is in keeping with most previous school shooters.

Most school shooters had access to and had used weapons prior to their attack.
Kretschmer's father was a member of a local gun club and Kretschmer was reported to have frequented the club for target practice with his father. In addition, Kretschmer's father is reported to have owned at least 15 weapons that he kept at the family's home, nearly all in a locked cabinet. Reports also indicate that the handgun that Kretschmer used in his attack was the one gun that his father kept unlocked in their home.

Many school shooters felt bullied, persecuted, or injured by others prior to their attacks.
From the note that Kretschmer's allegedly posted in the chat room six hours prior to his attack, he indicated that he felt that everyone laughed at him and no one recognized his potential.

As the investigation unfolds, it will be interesting to see if other facts come to light that suggest Kretschmer's situation was like that of previous school shooters. Specifically, it will be worth watching to see if people in Kretschmer's life had been seriously troubled by or concerned about his behavior prior to the shooting. It will also be worth watching to see if Kretschmer communicated with anyone else (besides the chat room post in question) beforehand about his plans for the shooting. Finally, it will be interesting to see if investigators find that any other peers or friends of Kretschmer's were helping Kretschmer with his plans, or were daring him to go through with the attack. In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families in Winnenden.

AL Shooting Planned, not Impulsive

Incident
On Tuesday Michael McLendon, a 28-year old who recently quit his job, carried out a rampage shooting across two small towns in southern Alabama, killing 10 people including several family members.

Analysis
From the evidence that is emerging, it was clear this was a planned shooting, rather than an impulsive act. According to Wednesday evening's update on MSNBC.com, a list found at McLendon's home indicated he had targeted several of those individuals and other entities as well, including two companies where he used to work, several former co-workers and supervisors, and his mother's former employer. Those listed were people McLendon felt had wronged him. In the latest update on MSNBC.com, the Coffee County District Attorney, Gary McAliley said. “It’s obvious to me he had planned doing this kind of thing and had for some time."Authorities also said the amount of ammunition that McLendon had suggested he may have intended to kill far more people than he did.

This analysis is a preliminary one, as information about McLendon and his attack is just beginning to emerge. It will be interesting to see what other pre-attack concerns may emerge as the investigation unfolds. Many workplace and rampage shooters tell other people about their plans for attack in advance - whether in person, on Web sites or in chat rooms, or even through videos posted on the Internet. In addition, many concern multiple people around them by engaging in very troubling or disturbing behavior before they ever do harm. And many are suicidal before carrying out their shootings. As the investigation progresses, it is possible that we will learn more about McLendon and about the behaviors he showed prior to his rampage shooting.

Twitter Users Help Solve School Threat

If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about how some crafty and persistent work by several Twitter users helped solve an anonymous school death threat in St. Louis, Missouri earlier this week.

Incident
It all began with an Internet search that a teacher in Virginia asked her husband, Jeremy Boggs, to run for a class she was teaching the next day. Reading a Wikipedia entry from the search, Boggs found a threat posted in the middle of the Wikipedia text, that said in part "I'M GOING TO SHOOT EVERYONE AT THAT (expletive) SCHOOL...ESPECIALLY KATRICE NOBLE" (quoted from the St. Louis-Post Dispatch article). Boggs used Twitter -- the social networking service that limits users to posts of 140 characters only -- to ask friends and colleagues whether he should do anything about the threat. The Twitter responses - or tweets, as they are called -- told him he should report the threat, both to Wikipedia editors and to the police.

But which police to call? The threat didn't specify a school or town, only Katrice Noble. Through the cooperation of several individuals on Twitter over the course of several hours -- and communicating using only 140 characters at a time -- these Twitter users were able to determine that Katrice Noble heads a charter school, Lift for Life Academy, in the St. Louis area. They then tried notifying Noble's school and the local police but weren't able to reach anyone because it was late at night. Finally, one Twitter user in Ohio was able to reach police in her area, who were able to reach Noble in St. Louis. Eventually the police and school officials were able to identify the student that posted the threat and determined that it was done as a prank. The school re-opened without incident.

Analysis
I think Boggs and his fellow Twitter users deserve a huge round of applause for their sound judgment in deciding to report the threat -- and even more importantly for their persistence in doing so. It took some digging for them to find out the school with which Katrice Noble was affiliated, its location, and the police department that served the area. And then it took several attempts and a fair amount of time for the Twitter group to reach someone who could help. They didn't stop even after leaving phone messages with the school and with local police. The Twitter group kept at it until they were sure that someone in law enforcement knew about the threat and would handle it from there.

What's important to recognize here is that people often don't report threats or troubling behavior, even though they should. In the Secret Service / Department of Education study of school shootings, one of our major findings was that prior to most shootings, other people knew about the shooters' plans beforehand, but never told anyone. There are a lot of reasons why people don't report threats that they hear, or tell someone about troubling behavior they observe. Decades of research on "bystander apathy" have shown time and again that most people fail to do something to help, such as call the police - even when a crime occurs right in front of them (for more on bystander apathy, click here). In the case of not reporting threats, these reasons can range from thinking the person is just joking, to thinking someone else is better equipped to know what to do, to fearing some consequence (like becoming a target themselves) if they try to do something to help (see the Secret Service/Department of Education Bystander Study for more information on why some students have reported threats while others have not).

But it is clear that there was no bystander apathy in this case. The Twitter users who helped stop the school threat did all the right things. They gave Boggs good advice after his initial query -- that he should report the threat because it is better to be safe than sorry. But Boggs and the Twitter group then went above and beyond to make sure law enforcement knew about the threat. I hope that people will remember this story of the Twitter group if they are ever in a position to report a threat or troubling behavior. In most cases, it won't be so difficult to pass along information to someone who can help. But even when it is difficult, the Twitter group showed us just how important it is to continue to try.

It's not often that we hear good news stories like this - perhaps because prevented attacks and people doing the right thing are not as "headline grabbing" as the bad things that happen every day. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has done a great service in sharing this Good Samaritan story.

Attack Averted by Parents' Tip

Incident
Police in a suburb north of Atlanta, GA today arrested two students at Woodstock High School and detained a third for questioning after receiving a tip that one of the students brought a gun to school and planned to do harm. According to an article on CNN.com, the older of the two arrested students, Forrest Busby, brought a revolver to school and hid it in the ceiling of one of the school bathrooms. In a search of his home, police found an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a Mini-14 assault rifle, along with 200 rounds of ammunition. Police also found 6 marijuana plants in Busby's closet; he is being charged - among other things - with possessing a weapon on school grounds, carrying a concealed weapon and manufacturing and distributing a controlled substance. The other boy that was arrested is 15 years old and is being handled as a juvenile, so his name has not been released. Three schools in the area - Woodstock HS, Woodstock Middle School, and Etowah High School - were all put on lockdown after police received the tip and before the arrests were made.

A more comprehensive article on the incident appeared this evening in the online version of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It describes how the tip first got to the Cherokee County police: from a phone call from the parents of the 15-year old who was arrested. Apparently their son had run away from home and taken a pistol and two assault rifles from their home when he left. Those were the weapons the police found less than 10 hours later hidden in the ceiling of the school bathroom and in Busby's home. Quick action by the police determined that the runaway boy had gone to Busby's house.

Analysis
Although it has not been articulated in news articles so far, police apparently had reason to believe that the 15 year-old and/or Busby might bring those weapons to Woodstock HS, and worked quickly to stop whatever plot might have been in the works. As with many averted attacks, we may never know what exactly was planned - if anything. But the combination of a child who has run away from home, with weapons, and then shows up at a classmate's house was enough to make the police take preventive action. If this case is like other school shootings and averted attacks, then a search of the boys' rooms, computers, and email/chat accounts may eventually reveal ideas or plans to do harm at the school - and possibly other who may have heard rumors of a plot. But because of concerned parents calling the local police -- and a rapid police response to assess the threat and determine the location of the boys and the weapons -- the local authorities were able to act quickly and make sure no harm occurred. The media has provided detailed coverage on the incident and on parents' reactions and their communications with their children throughout the lockdown. My hope is that some of the news articles will focus on how the system worked in this case to prevent a potential tragedy. The more news positive coverage we can give to people who do the right thing by reporting concerns, the greater chance we have at encouraging others to do the same thing in future situations.

WEBINAR: Campus Threat Assessment Teams

On April 21, 2009 (2pm-3:30pm ET), Dr. Gene Deisinger and I will provide the web-based training seminar, "Threat Assessment Teams: Creating Teams and Managing Threats." This webinar, which is being hosted by Paperclip Communications, is designed for those working in higher education settings but is also appropriate for anyone interested in threat assessment teams and their functioning.

We will discuss how to create an effective multi-disciplinary team on campus; how to identify students or employees of concern and determine whether they pose any threat; and how to intervene to stop potential violence and provide assistance to persons in need. We will also talk about the roles and responsibilities of individual team members, sample agendas for team meetings, and strategies for maximizing communications -- to the team, among team members, and from the team to the campus community.

This webinar is appropriate for student affairs officers, judicial affairs officers, human resources and employee assistance personnel, legal counsel, campus law enforcement, administrators, counseling center staff, and anyone else interested in or responsible for campus safety and/or student and employee welfare. For more information or to register for the course, please click here.

Threats to Celebrities and Politicians in the US and the UK: Getting Mental Health Involved

This week an article in a Scottish newspaper provided an interesting overview of the Los Angeles Police Department's (LAPD) Threat Management Unit, and the work they do investigating and intervening with celebrity stalkers (click here for the article). It provides details on several well-known and fascinating stalking cases, including individuals who have stalked Steven Spielberg, Madonna, and Britney Spears. The article also mentions a similar, though much newer, unit in London that was created to investigate and intervene with stalkers and threateners of Britain's political leaders and members of the royal family. The unit, called the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, has studied thousands of cases of individuals who have written to British politicians or members of the royal family.

An earlier article on the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre described their research and investigative work in more detail, including research they have done on attacks against European politicians. This earlier article also offers summaries of some fascinating cases of individuals who have stalked and attacked European policitians and royalty - cases that are arguably lesser known in the US. The Fixated Threat Assessment Centre's research - and their investigative work - sound quite similar to that of the U.S. Secret Service, and in particular the Secret Service's research on assasinations and attacks on U.S. public figures, politicians and celebrities alike. (For more information on the Secret Service research, click here).

One fascinating aspect of the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre is that it is funded in part by Britain's Department of Health, largely because over three quarters of the cases studied involved significant mental illness. From the earlier article: "'This is an area where the interests of security and public health overlap,' [David] James [who co-directs the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre] says. 'We're not just providing protection: we're helping to find care and treatment for those whose lives are being destroyed by untreated mental illness.' Some of the patients first identified by FTAC, James says, are now leading 'functional and relatively normal' lives."

This quote echoes a little-known aspect of threat assessment work in the law enforcement arena - whether it's carried out by the LAPD, the US Secret Service, the UK's Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, or others: the primary goal of threat assessment is prevention. It's typically not about arrest or prosecution. Unless the person in question has already attacked, arrest and prosecution usually don't offer effective long-term preventive solutions (although arrest may be an important short-term solution when an attack appears imminent and the person in question needs to be contained). The sentences or punishments for issuing a threat, and even planning an attack, are often quite short. Instead, achieving long-term prevention typically means uncovering and addressing the underlying problems (like mental illness, multiple major losses, or desperation/suicide) that are driving the person's throughts and plans of violence in the first place. Having easy access to tools that can address those personal problems -- such as quality, affordable mental health care -- can make threat management far more effective. The UK format - involving the Department of Health with the work of the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre - is one worth watching. It may proved to be an effective model for mental health intervention in similar cases in the US, Canada, and other countries.

New Stalking Statistics

A news piece this week on msnbc.com offered a great snapshot of recent statistics on stalking in the U.S. The article summarizes a report from the US Department of Justice, released in January, on the number of stalking cases in America in 2005 and 2006 (this is the most recent years these statistics are available; it typically takes a while to assemble statistics like this). The Justice Department reported that over 3 million people in the United States were stalked during a 12 month period in 2005/2006. That is a large number. It is equivalent to everyone in a medium-sized city. The report also underscores that the majority of victims - around 75% - know there stalkers, typically from a past relationship.

Personal Safety Tip
The article mentions some technologies that have helped stalkers pursue their victims, including the wealth of information available on the Internet. One quick personal safety strategy is to conduct a Google search - or a Cuil.com search - on your name on a regular basis. There was one stalking case a number of years ago where the stalker detailed his pursuit of his victim, including his plans to kill her, on a web site he created. All of the information about his plans and her victimization was posted online for anyone to see; but the police handling the case never thought to run this woman's name through a standard Internet search. As a matter of personal safety, run a search on Google or Cuil every month or two and see what the results say. Take the time to page through all the results, if possible. And don't forget to check the tabs with images as well as text. It's good to know what others can find about you if they want to. Check back again soon for more personal safety tips.

Hospital shooting by fired employee

This past weekend there was a rampage shooting at a hospital in Brockport, NY. The latest report indicates that the shooter was a former employee of the hospital who had been fired after only four months on the job. According to the report, he had also been fired from his previous job with another hospital after only six months employment in that position. The report also states that the shooter had been reported to local police in for disturbing behavior while he was a student in nursing school. Similar to other rampage shootings, this shooter -- at least according to current news reports -- appears to have been on multiple radar screens for concerning behavior over the course of several years.