Threat Assessment and Management Strategies: Identifying the Howlers and Hunters

by Frederick S. Calhoun

A crucial step in any successful threat management process is knowledge of the players involved. Some individuals truly intend violence (known as hunters) , while others merely want to threaten or draw attention to themselves ( howlers ). Threat Assessment and Management Identifying the Howlers and Hunters helps those who interact with questionable populations to identify problem behaviors and determine the appropriate preventative action. A successful threat management process does not necessarily depend on large staffs or huge resource commitments, but, instead, on attention to detail and a thoughtful approach. Through actual case studies and case analyses, this volume explains the best practices for assessing problem individuals and recommends the optimal protective response and management strategy. The authors provide key indicators of hunters and howlers, comparing and contrasting their behaviors and motivations. An entire chapter is devoted to analyzing the intimacy effect and demonstrating how it applies to law enforcement, specifically to interpersonal relationships involving targets of intended violence. Frederick S. Calhoun, Ph.D. was the principal architect in developing the threat-assessment process used by the U.S. Marshals Service for analyzing risks to federal judicial officials. Currently, he manages a national workplace violence prevention program for a large federal agency. Stephen J. Weston is a 32-year veteran of the California Highway Patrol. From 1991 to 2006, he managed the unit responsible for the investigation of threats against California state officials. Their combined expertise provides anyone who is involved in managing potentially violent situations with the guidance needed to contain the threat posed by these would-be predators.

234 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2008

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is on the preparatory read list for the "Certified Threat Manager" exam. So, literally required reading for those in the field.

I found the author's detailed narrative and many case studies on hunters and howlers both interesting and useful - particularly the taxonomy by motive/intent. However, I believe they strained to present an artificial hard line between the two types. It is repeatedly stated in the book that "howlers rarely hunt and hunters rarely howl". But many of the case examples presented demonstrate that, although the crossover in either direction may not be frequent, a shift from howler to hunter is definitely not "rare". Despite the repeated assertion of clear behavioral divides, the authors themselves make clear (while avoiding explicit discussion of the matter) that there exists a substantial area of behavioral overlap. Particularly in the extended narrative on the "intimacy effect", where they argue in essence that the closer the personal relationship between the howler and the target, the more likely it is that the howler becomes a hunter. And in the discussion of the "last straw syndrome", they make it clear that a trigger - often known only to the individual - can result in an immediate shift of a howler to a hunter in attack mode.

I believe the authors recognize this issue, but in the strength of their intent to put across the howler vs hunter concept they intentionally avoid/neglect a proper discussion of the grey zone, its dangers, and how different situations can result in shifts from howler to hunter at varying intensities.

The other gripe I have with this book is that, even though this second edition was updated in 2016, the 'net and social media as a venue for threat dissemination and leakage by both howlers and hunters is neglected completely. Despite the usefulness of this book in general, this significantly undermines the presentation of the concept in practical terms.

Still, required reading.

[Rachel Meints · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent foundational piece if you work in threat assessment and management.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't find anything about this earth shattering or grand ... It was an exam prep book and most of this content I've heard on a loop for years. If you're new to the TA/TM world though, this is a must read. I can't say I loved how this is organized though.