1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Messer and 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Quick Takes Tim Stinovic on Bloomberg Radio. Among the 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: most read on the Bloomberg today is a story in 4 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,400 Speaker 1: the New York Times about and I'm reading from the 5 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: story parents of students who are trapped inside rob Elementary 6 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:18,079 Speaker 1: School furiously argued with the police for not storming the 7 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:22,240 Speaker 1: school sooner, according to interviews with witnesses who was there 8 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 1: on the day of the shooting. And so, of course 9 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 1: we're talking about what happened earlier this week. We're trying 10 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: not just to make sense of the tragedy but also 11 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,599 Speaker 1: understand where the United States can go from here. We've 12 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: got a great voice on this. Dr Marissa Randazzo is 13 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 1: executive director of Threat Management at on Tick. She joins 14 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: us this afternoon from Washington, d C. She's got a 15 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: great background serving with the U. S. Secret Service for 16 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 1: a decade. She was the agency's chief Research psychologist assigned 17 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: to the National Threat Assessment Center. Also co directed the 18 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: Safe School Initiative, conducted jointly by the U. S. Secret 19 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: Service in the US Department of Education. Dr Randazzo, it's 20 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: good to have you with us. I wish it were 21 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:07,920 Speaker 1: under different circumstances. Um, we we're trying to understand how 22 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: this type of thing can can be prevented. And we 23 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: know what is happening politically right now. That's not what 24 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about. But what we're gonna talk 25 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:20,119 Speaker 1: about is is real solutions here. And and you say 26 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:24,680 Speaker 1: it's possible to prevent school shootings, how well, it's absolutely 27 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: possible to prevent school shootings. That I was part of 28 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: a team that has been studying school shootings since the 29 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:33,759 Speaker 1: Columbine attack happened, and we actually went back twenty five 30 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,680 Speaker 1: years and the Secret Service has continued this research. And 31 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: I just want to emphasize school shootings are preventable. We 32 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: can prevent them because they are sought out and plan 33 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: out in advance, and because the person who engages in 34 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: that violence typically tells other people beforehand, so we stand 35 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 1: a chance at hearing about someone who's planning for this 36 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: type of horrific violence before they actually get to that point. 37 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: And one other important pieces that people who carry out 38 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: and students who carry out school shootings in particular, typically 39 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 1: do it when they're at a point of feeling desperation. 40 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: There at the end of their rope, that they may 41 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: even be actively suicidal and they see no other way 42 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:18,640 Speaker 1: out of their problems. Um and and maybe really just 43 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: looking to violence as the last solution or the best 44 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: solution to to to solve their problems and commit suicide 45 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: at the same time. Often is the case. So the 46 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 1: way we prevent this is typically by setting up threat 47 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: assessment teams and training lawn personal personnel, school personnel, and 48 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: mental health professionals. In This process, known as behavioral threat assessment, 49 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: was first of all by the Secret Service. It's been 50 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: adapted for K twelve, it's been adapted for higher ED 51 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: and and even the Department of Defense is concluded this 52 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:58,079 Speaker 1: is exactly the tool that works best. It's our best 53 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: hope going forward. I mean this else like being kind 54 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: of an offensive offensive like being on the offense right 55 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: looking for the problem areas are problem individuals. Why aren't 56 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: we set up better? Is it just we still are 57 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: in a society, even though in the pandemic we talk 58 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: so much about well being, in mental wellness and you know, 59 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: employers being more sympathetic the whole world kind of getting 60 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: a better understanding of how it can impact everybody, or 61 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:28,359 Speaker 1: anyone um is it's just still society's lack of expertise 62 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: and knowledge when it comes to mental well being and 63 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,640 Speaker 1: willing to kind of identify it, like, what is it 64 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: that we're not better about this? Well? I think I 65 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 1: think that that's a big piece of it. And I 66 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: think the other thing that distracts us is that depression 67 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: in in girls and women look different than a typically 68 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: dozen boys and men were used to kind of a 69 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: Hollywood script of you're just withdrawing from activities, you're sleeping 70 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: all day, you're eating a tub of ice cream. For 71 00:03:55,760 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: boys and for men, clinical depression actually looks very active anger, 72 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: it's trigger temper, it's rage, and we miss that. We 73 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: miss it a school personnel, as law enforcement, pediatricians missed 74 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: that as a possible symptom of clinical depression. It's part 75 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: of what attracts some people to extremist ideas in the 76 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: first place is feeling like the only legitimate expression of 77 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: their emotions is hatred. If they were to cry that 78 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: we made fun of, But if they are angry and 79 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:29,719 Speaker 1: seizing and full of hate, then they're not made fun of. 80 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: So part of it is we have an opportunity if 81 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: we know what to look for, especially employed young men. 82 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: Miss I can't help but think that if these kids 83 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,719 Speaker 1: did not have access to guns, these things wouldn't happen. 84 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: Because we have mental health issues in countries outside of 85 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: the United States where it is harder to get a gun, 86 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,839 Speaker 1: and we do not see mass shootings like this. That's 87 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: absolutely the case. We can't deny the fact that the 88 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: US has really cornered the market on mass shootings. We 89 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 1: have so many more than any other similar country with 90 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:06,360 Speaker 1: similar mental health problems, stressors, etcetera. Um. But I will 91 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: tell you, at the same time, I have been working 92 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 1: in the field of threat assessment for over twenty five years. 93 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: I've been doing research in different types of gun control 94 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: for even longer than that, and and the sides haven't changed, 95 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 1: and the and the divisionness has has only worsened. So 96 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:25,560 Speaker 1: what I want us to look at it what can 97 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,800 Speaker 1: we do right now? And what one thing we can 98 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 1: do is state legislatures can actually enact these extreme risk 99 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,920 Speaker 1: protection orders. So I can't remember nineteen or twenty three 100 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:41,680 Speaker 1: states have them. It's a temporary order, a temporary restraining order, 101 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: separating someone who is planning violence or maybe a risk 102 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:49,840 Speaker 1: to themselves from their weapons until they can be stabilized. 103 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:52,160 Speaker 1: So that's something we could actually take action on. Right 104 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,280 Speaker 1: we're talking about these red flag right um types of 105 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 1: legislations or moves if you will, Hey, um, Dr Randaza 106 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: will come back to you just a mount We're gonna 107 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: do a little bit of news, but we're going to 108 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,360 Speaker 1: come back to Dr Marissa Randazzo. She's executive director of 109 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 1: Threat Management at on Tick, joining us on the phone 110 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: from Washington, d C. You are listening to Bloomberg Business 111 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 1: Week Carl Master, Tim Stanovic, and this is Bloomberg Radio. 112 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:23,599 Speaker 1: We're talking with Dr Marissa Randazzo. She is executive director 113 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 1: of Threat Management and on Tick. They are a threat 114 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: assessment and management services company. She also served with the U. S. 115 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 1: Secret Service for a decade, most recently as the agency's 116 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: chief Research Psychologist assigned to the National Threat Assessment Center. 117 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:37,520 Speaker 1: She's still with us on the phone from Washington, d C. 118 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: Dr Randazzo, I am curious, first of all, after this 119 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: shooting that we just got this week, and we've had 120 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 1: a couple of shootings right in just a short time. Um, 121 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 1: you know, I am curious. Is your phone ringing off 122 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 1: the hook? Are people calling saying how do we deal 123 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: with this? What do we do? What's our first step? Yeah, 124 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 1: and actually, for anyone that has a threatening situation that 125 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: there are a number of things that you can do. 126 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: First and foremost, go ahead and call local law enforcement. 127 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: Let them be aware of it. UM, if it is 128 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 1: occurring in a school, from a student, from a parent, 129 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: wherever it's occurring, you can find out if that school 130 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 1: has a threat assessment team. If your workplace may well 131 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:22,320 Speaker 1: have a threat assessment team or a workplace violence prevention team. 132 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:24,960 Speaker 1: These are teams that are trained to handle these situations 133 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: or to call in outside experts who have the ability 134 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: to handle those situations. But something that's important to know 135 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 1: is when we get a series of these news grabbing, 136 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: high profile events, these horrific acts, it oftentimes prompts an 137 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 1: influx of more more threats coming in. For for a 138 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: couple of different reasons. One, sometimes hearing something like this 139 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: news about it destabilizes people who are kind of barely 140 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:55,920 Speaker 1: keeping things together and may feel like, well, now that's 141 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 1: a way out for me. I'm also suicidal and I 142 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,240 Speaker 1: could I could get some variety at the same time. 143 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:05,640 Speaker 1: For example, UM, it also tends to lower people's threshold 144 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 1: for reporting. So a coworker who may have been worried 145 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 1: about some behavior they've seen in the workplace may now 146 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 1: be much more inclined to bring that forward to their 147 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 1: HR department, to their corporate security department to let them 148 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: know about their concerns. So people on the receiving end 149 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: THREAD Assessment team security law enforcement are likely going to 150 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 1: see an uptick in those threats coming in, both because 151 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: maybe more threatening behavior is occurrent, but coast so largely 152 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:33,719 Speaker 1: because people who are much more inclined. I don't want 153 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:35,679 Speaker 1: this to happen to me. I've been worried about this 154 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:37,600 Speaker 1: situation for a while, and now I'm going to tell 155 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 1: someone the doctor random I'm wondering, what you know. I 156 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 1: think a lot of people are turning to lawmakers right 157 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:44,960 Speaker 1: now to see what Congress can do to try to 158 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:47,240 Speaker 1: create laws that will prevent this. What would you like 159 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: lawmakers to do so? On my wish list, first and foremost, 160 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,839 Speaker 1: I want to get THREAD Assessment training training on how 161 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 1: to do these threat investigations. Every local police department and 162 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:03,280 Speaker 1: shariff's office in the country. Federal law enforcement typically gets 163 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: this training, local law enforcement often does not, and yet 164 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:10,200 Speaker 1: this is where the threats are being reported. We heard 165 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: years after the Sandy Hook shooting, when the FBI finally 166 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 1: released their full analysis, we heard that the shooter in 167 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: the in the at Sandy Hook Elementary had threatened to 168 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:23,920 Speaker 1: do exactly what he ends up doing. It was reported 169 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: to local law enforcement, and they didn't think there was 170 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 1: anything they could do. They didn't have this type of training. 171 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:32,959 Speaker 1: So first and foremost, I want to start yesterday and 172 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: get threat assessment training, threat investigations training to every police 173 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:40,760 Speaker 1: department and sheriff's office in the country. Congress can make 174 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:44,200 Speaker 1: that happen. Just got about a minute or so left here. 175 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 1: We are curious about the time you spent in the 176 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 1: Secret Service and what that was like and how that 177 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: kind of makes you think about what threats are, what 178 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 1: realistic threats are, um how that kind of has affected 179 00:09:57,280 --> 00:09:59,080 Speaker 1: your thinking. And again, just got about a minute or so. 180 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 1: It was a wonderful experience, in large part because it 181 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 1: showed me firsthand how much we can prevent acts of violence, 182 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 1: and often in ways that we don't expect. The Secret 183 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:13,599 Speaker 1: Service agents handling active threat cases people threatening to assassinate 184 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:17,199 Speaker 1: often worked more like social workers to connect with that 185 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 1: would be assassin to find out what the underlying problem is, 186 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 1: to give them off that pathway to violence and and 187 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 1: really establish a relationships to get them into care and support. 188 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 1: Was fascinating to watch an incredible mission that they are 189 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 1: part of. Well so enlightening to have you joined us 190 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:36,199 Speaker 1: and talk about what we can do and what can 191 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,880 Speaker 1: be done to really prevent school shooting, something that unfortunately 192 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:41,760 Speaker 1: just seems to be a lot more frequent, uh than 193 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 1: we then should be. It shouldn't be happening at all 194 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 1: in our society, um, Dr Randazzo, thank you so much. 195 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 1: Dr Marissa Randazzo, Executive director of Threat Management and ANTICK. 196 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: As I mentioned, they are a threat assessment and management 197 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:56,200 Speaker 1: services company and she was joining us on the phone 198 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:57,079 Speaker 1: from Washington, d C.