The following powerpoint was presented to Dr. Baljit Atwal's Forensic Psychology class at Alliant University (Sacramento) by Dr. Nathaniel Mills ( www.NathanielMills.com ) on December 3rd, 2012. The presentation covered findings from the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education's Safe Schools Initiative's final findings report.

1. Nathaniel Mills, Ph.D.
Psychologist (psy 23861)
916-722-7792
www.nathanielmills.com
drmills@nathanielmills.com

2. Profile of a School Shooter

9. Profile of a School Shooter

10. Safe School Initiative (SSI)
 Identified
 37 incidents of school violence
 41 attackers
 occurring between 1974 and 2000.

11. SSI Findings:
Characteristics of A School Shooter
 41% were “mainstream students”
or socialized with
“mainstream students.

12. SSI Findings:
Characteristics of A School Shooter
 44% were involved
in some organized
social activity
(i.e., club)

13. SSI Findings:
Characteristics of A School Shooter

14. SSI Findings:
Characteristics of A School Shooter
 63% were
well-behaved.

15. SSI Findings:
Characteristics of A School Shooter
 39% were not
retaliating for
an injustice
 41% showed little
or no interest in
violence prior to
their attack.

16. SSI Findings:
Profile of a School Shooter
 There is no accurate or useful “profile” of
students who engaged in targeted
school violence.
 A + B + C ≠ School Shooter

17. SSI Findings:
Characteristics of A School Shooter
 93% planned
out their attack
in advance

18. SSI Findings:
Behavioral Cues
 93% engaged in behavior that caused
concern
 81% of the time
someone knew
about the plan

19. Empirically Informed Threat
Prevention
 Identifying the Red Flags
 Relay the Red Flags to the appropriate
administrator(s).

20. Obstacles to
Communication: Scattered
Information
 Many people knowing half the story
 No one knowing the whole story.

21. Obstacles to Communication:
WHAT and WHERE to report?
 Training for:
 RA’s
 New Faculty
 New Administrators
 Students

22. Obstacles to
Communication: Fear
 Consequences of reporting.
 Students may not want to report.

23. Obstacles to
Communication:
 Scattered Information
 Lack of knowledge about
 What and
 Where to report
 Fear of Consequences

24. Suggestions
 Central location for information from:
 Faculty
 Administration
 Students
 Trainings for students, new faculty, and
new administrators on:
 Identifying and
 Reporting red flag behaviors
 Anonymous drop box for concerns.

25. References
 At, Deidra (2008). Black and Missing But Not Forgotten: Latina
William’s Mother Releases Statement Regarding the LA Technical
College Tragedy. Retrieved on May 1, 2009 from
http://blackandmissing.blogspot.com/2008/02/latina-williams-
mother-releases.html.
 Langman, Peter (2009). Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School
Shooters. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
 Bartol, C.R., Bartol, A.M. (2008). Introduction to Forensic
Psychology: Research and Application. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publishing
 Vossekuil, B., Fein, R.A., Reddy, M., Borum, R, Modzeleski, W.
(2002). The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative:
Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United
States. Retrieved on May 1, 2009 from
www.secretservice.gov/ntac/ssi_final_report.pdf.