WASHINGTON – On February 14, 2019, the EAGLES Act of 2019 was introduced by a bi-partisan group of Senators to include Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Doug Jones (D-AL), Rick Scott (R- FL), Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Cory Gardner (R-CO). The EAGLES Act would reauthorize and expand the Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center’s ability to conduct additional research and training to prevent targeted violence.
The Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) has been congressionally authorized to conduct research, training and consultation on the prevention of targeted violence since 1999. After the Parkland school shooting in 2018, NTAC researched and released their most recent report “Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model – An Operational Guide to Preventing Targeted School Violence.” This guide provides direction to school personnel, law enforcement officers and other public safety professionals on how to create a violence prevention plan.
“The United States Secret Service is very pleased to see the re-introduction of the EAGLES Act. This act will further support our efforts to mitigate all forms of targeted violence through comprehensive threat assessment programs. The EAGLES Act will allow us, through our National Threat Assessment Center, to enhance our collaborative efforts with federal, state, and local partners in the areas of training, consultation, research, and information sharing. The EAGLES Act is a proactive step aimed at reducing targeted violence within our communities,” Director Randolph ‘Tex’ Alles stated.
The EAGLES Act of 2019 would give NTAC the funding needed to enhance their capabilities in preventing these tragedies. Furthermore, it would permit NTAC to consult with outside entities on complex threat assessment cases or programs to disable future threats. The EAGLES Act facilitates information sharing on threat assessments and the prevention of targeted violence among agencies with protective or public safety responsibilities.
“The U.S. Secret Service has unique and unparalleled experience in identifying threats to safety and preventing tragedies. This bill builds on the Secret Service’s case study research on targeted school violence and enables the National Threat Assessment Center to train more of our nation’s schools in how to conduct threat assessments and early interventions. Equipping our communities and schools with training and best practices to recognize and prevent school violence is avital step toward preventing future tragedies, and an important way to honor victims of school violence,” said Senator Grassley.
For more information about the National Threat Assessment Center click here.
-- United States Secret Service