The New Standard in Active Shooter Training
What organizations must update in 2026.
Author: Tim Keck
In 1986, a mail carrier named Pat strolled into the post office where he worked in Edmond, Oklahoma and killed fourteen of his coworkers. The press coverage said he “just snapped.”
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Pat was described as socially inept. A loner. Unable to hold down a job, he blamed his lack of success on his bosses. Fellow workers said he was weird and angry. He was unhappy in Edmond and twice passed tests to be transferred, but no action was taken to help him relocate. During disciplinary interviews he had twice threatened revenge. Finally, the day before the murders, he received a direct reprimand from his supervisor.
There are ten recognized warning signs of violence in the above paragraph. Ten. Pat didn’t snap. He got on a path to destruction and couldn’t get off. And there were plenty of signs along the way that no one recognized or knew what to do with.
But that was forty years ago.
So, what are organizations doing now? Generally, the same thing they have been doing for four long decades. Hoping it will never happen to them and having employees watch a six-minute video in case it does.
At least now there is training. However, be it Run-Hide-Fight, Avoid-Deny-Defend, or ALICE, they all fall short in one major regard. None of them focus on prevention. All are designed to answer one question: What do we do if a bad guy shows up with a gun? Which is a question that must be answered. But it’s not as good a question as this one:
What if the bad guy never showed up with a gun?
What if we could see an attack coming weeks or months in advance and de-escalate the situation so there is no violence? I have good news! We can.
There is a protection methodology called Threat Assessment and Management (TAM) that is highly successful in preventing targeted attacks. It is the same system used by virtually all heads of state and billionaires, both of whom have unlimited resources. And it’s not about sunglasses and squiggly earpieces, it’s all about warning signs and appropriate action.
How effective is it?
The experts at SafeHaven Security Group, LLC have decades of experience managing violence. Credentials include former head of TAM for one of the world’s biggest companies, former U.S. Secret Service, former U.S. Marshall, former Chief of Police, former Army Ranger, etc. Hundreds of years of combined experience and our success rate is 100%. That’s right. Once we get involved in managing a case, it has NEVER resulted in a violent act.
That’s because anything you actively manage can almost always be improved. As a leader, you know that to be true.
How does it work, you ask? It’s pretty simple. There are known warning signs of violence that are displayed by anyone who is on a path to destruction. All of your people must be trained to recognize these signs and know who to report them to. That person, be they HR or Safety or some other leader, calls one of our Threat Managers. Then we all work together to de-escalate the situation and keep everyone safe.
We take someone who is on the road to violence and build them an offramp.
This is the year you must upgrade your program to include Threat Assessment and Management. Let’s make sure the bad guy never shows up with a gun.
12 Warning Signs of Potential Violence
Blaming others
Not adaptable
Low self esteem
Loner
Depressed
Irrational beliefs & ideas
Sudden change in beliefs
Little empathy for others
Severe mood swings
Multiple major life stressors
History of mild mental health issues
Recent purchase of a firearm