Since 2015, school personnel, law enforcement officers, mental health professionals, and others involved in school safety have had the opportunity to share their averted school violence stories and lessons learned, in order to improve school safety and help prevent future tragedies. Read more on the full ASV history here.
In reviewing cases for inclusion in the database we look for: means, opportunity, motive and intent to carry out a targeted school attack. Incidents of violence on school grounds not related to the school (e.g., gang-related violence) and social media threats not deemed credible by law enforcement are excluded from the database.
Sharing your story is an anonymous, secure, non-punitive, and confidential process.
On February 6th, Dr. Alyse Folino Ley and Dr. Frank Straub presented at the 2024 Association of Threat Assessment Specialists (ATAP) Winter Conference in Orlando, FL. They discussed an incident of averted school violence in Paw Paw, MI, which turned tragic three years later. They also spoke about the Prevent 2 Protect Project, the Adolescent Targeted Violence Prevention Project with Michigan State University and Safe and Sound Schools.
On April 9th, Michele Gay and Melissa A. Louvar Reeves participated in the School Safety Academy organized by the Michigan State Police’s Office of School Safety in Livonia, MI.
On January 22, 2024, the FBI’s Detroit Field Office issued a warning regarding Sextortion.
This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 2014-CK-WX-K023 awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues.