Nearly three-quarters of individuals who carried out attacks in workplaces exhibited "behaviors of concern" beforehand, according to a recent report from the U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC).
The report, which analyzed incidents between 2016 and 2020, found that these behaviors represent a continuum, ranging from domestic violence to disturbing statements and unusual conduct.
"One of the main findings from our report examining mass attacks was that over 40% of the attackers had a history of domestic violence, and when you parse out these 50 subset of workplace attackers, that number goes up to 53%," said Lina Alathari, head of NTAC, in an interview with ABC News. The report noted that some attackers engaged in violence against romantic partners or relatives, leading victims to seek protective or restraining orders.
Approximately two-thirds of attackers had prior criminal charges, the report stated. Other concerning behaviors included making disturbing or threatening statements, exhibiting strange or unusual actions, and stalking or harassing others.
The Secret Service study found that perpetrators were typically familiar with the targeted workplace, either as current or former employees, a romantic partner of an employee, or a customer. In nearly all of the 50 analyzed attacks, the attacker experienced some form of stressor. Retail locations were the most frequent targets, followed by restaurants and manufacturing or distribution centers.
The report also indicated that nearly all attacks were carried out by males acting alone. About half of the employees who perpetrated workplace violence had disciplinary records.
Alathari emphasized that workplace violence is preventable through proactive measures. The Secret Service recommends that organizations establish threat assessment programs, which can be scaled for businesses of any size. "What we're telling organizations is you have to have resources and trainings for employees to recognize the warning signs, but also the avenues to report this behavior so that someone in the organization has the responsibility for taking action to make sure that preventing a future attack," she said. The Secret Service utilizes its threat assessment model daily to protect the president and other individuals, and aims to provide a framework for organizations to identify and respond to concerning behaviors.