Global Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Analytics leader will now be the exclusive source for an innovative counter-terrorism protocol designed specifically for lone actor terrorists.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, ON: September 25, 2018-Multi-Health Systems (MHS) Public Safety Division announces that it will now be the sole source for a cutting-edge counterterrorism risk assessment instrument designed specifically for lone actor terrorists called the Terrorist Radicalization Assessment Protocol-18 (TRAP-18). Lone Actor Terrorism refers to targeted violent acts carried out in support of some group, movement, or ideology by a single individual in the absence of direction by an outside group. This protocol aims to aid in differentiating between those that need active risk management regarding a possible terrorist act, and those who may only need active monitoring.
The TRAP-18 was developed by forensic psychologist and researcher J. Reid Meloy, PhD. It is designed to code for proximal warning behaviors (such as pathway, identification, and last resort) and longer term distal characteristics (such as personal grievance and moral outrage, ideological framing, failure of sexual pair bonding, and mental disorder). The TRAP-18 provides a means by which mental health, intelligence, law enforcement, and security professionals can organize accumulating operational data on a person of concern, and therefore plan for his or her risk management to reduce the threat of targeted violence.
Dr. Meloy says, “MHS was an ideal choice for the management of the TRAP-18. They have years of experience in working with law enforcement and criminal justice agencies around the world. They specialize in innovative and scientifically rigorous tools and they understand that law enforcement and criminal justice agencies are facing complex challenges related to understanding and managing risk in order to keep the public safe.”
The Manager of the Public Safety division at MHS and the Global Institute of Forensic Research, Tammy Holwell shared, “Lone actor terrorism is considered a major national security threat in both North America and Europe. We are thrilled to offer a cutting-edge Counter-Terrorism Protocol. This technology fills a void that has existed in the counterterrorism space for some time now.” She went on to share, “TRAP-18 will be a key tool in helping counterterrorism units better identify and understand lone actor terrorist risk factors and intervene in their violence before tragic events happen.”
The TRAP-18 is currently used by counterterrorism analysts, investigators, and law enforcement professionals in the United States, Canada, and various countries in Europe, including the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain and Sweden, among others. The codesheets will be available in nine languages. It is the only counterterrorism instrument which prioritizes cases according to presence of proximal warning behaviors. It also has demonstrated reliability and validity.
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About J. Reid Meloy, PhD.
Dr. Meloy is a board-certified forensic psychologist and clinical professor of Psychiatry, Univ. of California, San Diego. Dr. Meloy is also a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and past president of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. He consults on cases in both North America and Europe, and is the author, co-author, or editor of numerous papers and 12 books. Dr. Meloy has been a consultant to the FBI for the past 17 years. He is an associate editor for the Journal of Threat Assessment and Management, and co-editor of the International Handbook of Threat Assessment (Oxford, 2014).
About the MHS Public Safety Division
MHS strives to leverage innovative tools to support public safety and law enforcement agencies around the world. MHS produces many of the best and most innovative offerings in the public safety market including data analytics, assessments, training, knowledge sharing of peer-reviewed research, and innovative assessment platforms. These tools are rigorous in their science, and highly functional. MHS aligns extensive scientific research and powerful data with innovative technologies to create solutions that help inform critical decisions in law enforcement and criminal justice. MHS has been trusted to help users accurately assess, evaluate, and improve performance in over 75 countries. For more information, visit www.mhs.com and www.gifrinc.com/trap-18.
Media Contact: Meghan Krohn, Marketing Specialist, [email protected]
