Buffalo Ledger

SHERIFF GARCIA FORMS THE ERIE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE BEHAVIORAL THREAT ASSESSMENT TEAM AND ANNOUNCES INITIAL PARTNERS

Buffalo, NY – Erie County Sheriff John C. Garcia announced today the formation of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office Behavioral Threat Assessment Team (ECSO BTAT).

In the wake of the horrifying, racially motivated attack on May 14, Sheriff Garcia reached out to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to create a team that can investigate and take action against those intent on harming or killing others.

Sheriff Garcia stated, “Following the evil attack against innocent people at the Tops market, we learned that the perpetrator fell through a crack. Today I am announcing the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and our partners are beginning to fill in some of those cracks with the formation of this team.” 

The ECSO BTAT's mission is to form a consortium of community stakeholders with diverse expertise and access to resources dedicated to identifying and closing threat gaps in Buffalo and Erie County. By acting as a central clearinghouse of information, the team will provide consultation on how to initiate interventions and case management strategies specific to situations with a significant risk of targeted violence.

“This team will look for indicators such as social media postings, pre-operational activities, and fringe ideologies to identify individuals and disrupt their violent plans,” explained Sheriff Garcia. “By identifying these individuals early in the process, we can intervene and redirect them.”

ECSO BTAT's initial partners include:

 EC District Attorney’s Office

 NYS Police

 U.S. Secret Service 

 FBI – Buffalo

 DHS Homeland Security Investigations

 Bureau Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms

 U.S. Marshals

 U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement

 U.S. Customs & Border Protection

The Sheriff’s Office plans to partner with representatives from local and tribal law enforcement agencies, school districts, colleges, universities, community-based organizations, religious communities, health and wellness organizations, business groups, and corporations to participate in the threat assessment team.

“These organizations are vital to the team's success,” said Sheriff Garcia. “Often, these groups have the first contact with individuals planning an attack, and with them as partners, we can intervene even earlier in the process.”

Any group interested in participating in the ECSO BTAT should email the Erie County Sheriff’s Office at sheriff@erie.gov.

Original source can be found here.