When most of us hear the acronyms BIT and TAT we might think it has something to do with computers. At Millersville University, “TAT” refers to the Threat Assessment Team, which has a new name Behavioral Intervention Team or BIT. This is the team that assists with addressing issues or situations that are disruptive or threatening to yourself or others.
“We made the name change to better reflect the function of the group,” explained Tom Richardson, the associate vice president/Dean of Students at Millersville who oversees the team. “Millersville’s team focuses on the behaviors of the campus members and their guests that may be early warning signs of possible disruption, so the name, “Behavioral Intervention Team” makes sense.”
The Threat Assessment Team was created at Millersville in 2008. It consists of University personnel with expertise in human resources/employee assistance, law enforcement/threat assessment/tactical applications, University operations, medical knowledge, social equity and student affairs. The team meets regularly to support the campus community by reviewing and performing triage reports, using the skills set of the team to determine the risk, suggest available on or off-campus services, conduct specific interventions, coordinate follow up and educate the campus community on the function of the team and how to initiate this process.
“The word “threat” does not seem to reflect the primary work of the group,” says Richardson. “The new name allows us to combine the behavioral intervention and threat assessment functions. A key to the success of behavioral intervention is learning about the precursor behaviors and low-level concerning acts that indicate a baseline or pattern. Ideally, the team would identify behaviors prior to them becoming threats.”
For more information on the Behavioral Intervention Team, call (717) 871-7070 or visit https://www.millersville.edu/safetyandsecurity/threatassessment.php.