Unveiling the Shield: How the Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center Protects Against Assassinations and Mass Attacks

Hidden within the vast operations of the U.S. Secret Service lies a specialized branch committed to safeguarding not only the president but also the American public through insightful research and prevention strategies.

The I-Team recently ventured to Washington, D.C. for an exclusive look at the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC), a unique segment of this agency.

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For almost three decades, NTAC has been instrumental in educating individuals, including a large group from Gurnee, on recognizing potential threats and swiftly taking action to prevent them.

The core objective of the National Threat Assessment Center is to thwart violent acts before they occur.

“NTAC was founded to delve into research concerning what is termed as targeted violence—premeditated attacks aimed at causing harm to an individual, group, or location,” explained Lina Alathari, the chief of NTAC, to the I-Team.

This initiative by the Secret Service was put into motion a year ahead of the tragic Columbine school shooting in 1999.

“Our staff at the National Threat Assessment Center have studied targeted violence and prevention through behavioral threat assessment and also brings the Secret Service’s operational expertise in how to prevent not only assassination, but school shootings, workplace violence and attacks against houses of worship,” said NTAC Assistant Chief Steven Driscoll.

NTAC studies the behaviors, backgrounds, and motivations of attackers to identify patterns.

“If communities can be equipped with the right kind of programs to identify signs and intervene, we can save lives,” said Driscoll.

“Thousands of schools across the country are already implementing what we call multi-tiered systems of support where… Those teams are working with those individual students that have very severe, concerning behaviors,” said NTAC Education Program Specialist Kelsey Morris.

Not surprisingly, their research shows people planning attacks are suffering.

“Things like job loss, divorce, substance abuse, or mental health stressors…bullying,” said Driscoll.

NTAC provides emergency consulting when there is an imminent threat.

“As part of our case consultation mission we are able to meet with law enforcement, school personnel and talk through some of these concerning cases,” NTAC’s Katie Lord told the I-Team.

Investigators say most of the alarming communication happens in person but there are also threats made on social media and other platforms.

“Oftentimes people feel like they’re at the end of their rope,” said Driscoll.

Nearly half a million people in schools, law enforcement, and businesses are NTAC trained, including in Lake County, Illinois.

More than 400 people packed the Almond campus of Warren Township High School in early March.

“I think as people are working together and always just being on the lookout, whether it’s in your school, in your neighborhood, you’re seeing something that could fester,” said Lake County Regional Superintendent of Schools Michael Karner.

Tony Montalto lost his daughter Gina in the Parkland school shooting in 2018.

“National Threat Assessment Center does would have helped prevent that. Sadly, here in Parkland, the school tried to do a behavioral threat assessment on the shooter, and botched it,” Montalto said.

Montalto is the president of Stand with Parkland and helps NTAC with their training.

“In the three decades, we’ve seen dozens of states mandate this approach for preventing school violence, we’ve seen workplaces develop workplace violence prevention programs,” said Driscoll.

This school safety approach is mandated in Illinois and Indiana.

“We’ve seen communities intervene” and plots thwarted, said Alathari. “We produce the research looking at averted attacks, targeting schools. And in every single case, someone came forward with information… Because the guidance that has been provided by the Secret Service for over 20 years is being replicated in communities across the country.”

“That concerning behavior is the trigger and the idea of a behavioral threat assessment is not to punish, not to incarcerate, but to get the individual connected with help before they resort to violence. I know that our family sure wishes that had happened in our case,” said Montalto.

Stand with Parkland helped pass several school safety laws, including the STOP School Violence Act. Because of this, Illinois has received millions of dollars in grant money for threat assessment training.