The TAT’s mission is to identify, assess, manage, intervene, and mitigate acts or threats of violence by or against faculty, staff, students, Medical Center employees, patients, and visitors or other non-affiliated individuals. Violent or threatening behavior encompasses a range of activities occurring on or off University or Medical Center Grounds and generates reasonable concern for personal or community safety.
The TAT executes its mission using a multidisciplinary approach to create a centralized coordinated process. The TAT believes that early recognition, intervention, and referral are critical to getting someone help and preventing violence before it occurs. All members of our community are an essential part of the TAT’s mission and should share incidents, observations, or communications that create concern about potential violence. The TAT does not provide emergency response services. If violent behavior occurs or appears imminent, the UVA community is directed to contact 911.
Threat assessment and management is not profiling or prediction. The TAT does not presume that individuals referred to its process will act violently; have engaged in or will engage in criminal wrongdoing; or violated student, employee, faculty, medical center, or patient standards of conduct. The TAT does not serve as a disciplinary body; however, referrals are made to the appropriate University or law enforcement authorities regarding violent or threatening behavior. The TAT engages in a dynamic process that attempts to understand a person’s motivation and capability regarding violence; increase protective factors against violence; anticipate and minimize triggering events; and protect and support potential targets. Members of the TAT treat all people with dignity and respect and believe this is fundamental to the University’s violence prevention efforts.