For Immediate Release
July 15, 1999

Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office

FBI Director Louis J. Freeh today addressed approximately 200 education, law enforcement, psychology and psychiatric professionals during a ground breaking National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) symposium in Leesburg, Virginia, entitled The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective. Attorney General Janet Reno will meet with the group on Friday.

This first-ever symposium aimed directly at stemming school violence has brought together internationally renowned experts, mental health practitioners, school administrators, educators and investigators representing eighteen victim schools from across the nation.

"The focus of this symposium is to identify subtle behavioral cues and early warning signs of students who may be potentially violent and to craft a method of threat assessment helpful to both educators and law enforcement," said Michael W. Bernacki, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG), which oversees the NCAVC.

Since its inception, CIRG's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime has focused on a variety of operational, training, and research initiatives targeted at enhancing strategies for the prevention, investigation and resolution of crimes such as school violence. During recent years, the NCAVC has provided consulting, research and analysis services for schools and law enforcement agencies throughout the country.

"Our objective is to look proactively and aggressively at school violence to help local, state and federal law enforcement officials guard against future tragedies," Bernacki said.

A monograph outlining the detailed findings and recommendations of the symposium will be disseminated in the fall for use by educators and law enforcement professionals.

Symposium attendees include representatives from eighteen schools where shooting incidents or foiled attempts have occurred, including Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where more than a dozen people died this spring in the worst act of school violence in American history.

Guests and speakers at the symposium include representatives from the National Education Association (NEA), National Federal of Teachers (NFT), Department of Education (DOE) and the National Middle School Association (NMSA) as well as scholars from Harvard University, Cornell University, the University of Virginia and the Menninger Institute.

"The FBI will continue its school violence initiatives through a long-term commitment to research, training and operational services," Bernacki said. "This symposium is a significant step toward bringing this country's assets to bear on a critical problem that appears more and more prevalent in American society. The relationship the FBI has developed with these experts at this historic conference will pave the way for ongoing partnerships to protect America's most precious resource--our children."

FBI Director Freeh established the Critical Incident Response Group in May, 1994, to provide a rapid, well coordinated response to terrorist and other criminal crises wherever there is an American interest. The National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, one of CIRG's major components, combines investigative and operational support, research and training without charge to federal, state, local and foreign law enforcement agencies investigating unusual, bizarre or repetitive violent crimes. CIRG and the NCAVC are located at Quantico, Virginia.