Leakage warning behaviors for mass school violence: An analysis of tips reported to a state school safety tip line.

Abstract

Tip lines are a promising strategy for promoting school safety by creating a structured system where students, staff, parents, and community members can anonymously report safety concerns. To date, little is known about the characteristics of tips, how tips are reported, and what implications for practice can be developed from studying tip line data. We analyzed 228 tips collected over the course of 43 months by the SafeOregon tip line in which one or more persons were reported for signaling intentions or desires to commit an act of mass violence at a school (i.e., "leakage"). Tips were coded and analyzed to generate critical knowledge about the leakage, the person(s) being reported, how the tip was reported, and how the school responded. Given the urgency of timely reporting, we also investigated the odds of same day reporting by several tip and school characteristics. Results show that most tips described direct threats to shoot up the school by a known male student, usually made at school. Notable patterns can be observed by disaggregating tips according to time of day, day of the week, and month, although more research is needed to understand temporal fluctuations. When a specific date for violence was mentioned in the leakage, the reporter was significantly more likely to engage in same day reporting and the police were more likely to be called. Results highlight the importance of training students on how to use tip lines effectively, including describing leakage events clearly and with as much detail as possible. Public Significance StatementTaken together, these findings are insightful for understanding the use of tip lines for reporting serious safety concerns, information that school administrators and tip line operators can utilize to allocate resources and ultimately to better protect schools from threats of violence.

Studying mass shooters’ words: Warning behavior prior to attacks.

“…Reporting systems such as Sandy Hook Promise Say Something Anonymous Reporting system have been implemented in some K-12 schools and colleges and universities around the country. Over half of the public middle schools and high schools across the United States have implemented some type of reporting system, and about 10 states in the country operate their own state-level reporting system (Hendrix et al, 2022; Planty et al, 2020). These reporting systems, which are anonymous, have been a vital resource for people who want to report suspicious activity, but feel guilty and/or fear potential retaliation from the individual of which they are reporting (Hendrix et al, 2022; Lankford et al, 2019; Madfis, 2014).…”

“…While conducting research on school shooters, the U.S. Secret Service was also examining the preattack behaviors of these perpetrators (Abel et al, 2022; Vossekuil et al, 2004). This and other research focused on those identifiable and observable behaviors that perpetrators of mass violence commonly share to create a set of warning behaviors (Abel et al, 2022; Fein et al, 1995; Hendrix et al, 2022; Langman, 2009; Meloy, 2016; Meloy et al, 2001, 2012, 2014; Vossekuil et al, 2004). This continued research on preattack warning behaviors has supported that there is not a comprehensive “profile” of mass violence offenders, but there are observable behaviors that when identified by others could lead to intervention and prevention (Abel et al, 2022; Meloy et al, 2021).…”

“…Mass shootings are planned in advance with mass shooters typically spending several weeks, months, or even years planning their attacks (Aitken et al, 2008; Allwinn et al, 2019; Bondü & Scheithauer, 2015; Gill et al, 2017; Larkin, 2009; Meloy & O’Toole, 2011; Vossekuil et al, 2002). These perpetrators are often fascinated with firearms and previous mass shooters (Meloy et al, 2004; Meloy, Mohandie, et al, 2015; Silva & Greene-Colozzi, 2022), legally have access to said weapons (Krouse & Richardson, 2015; Lemieux, 2014; Newman & Fox, 2009), and spend time practicing with the firearms they intend to utilize in the mass shooting to ensure they are well-versed with the weapon (Abel et al, 2022; Hendrix et al, 2022).…”

“…This is the sharing of information relevant to the perpetrator’s plan for violence (Allwinn et al, 2019; Gill et al, 2017; Lankford et al, 2019). The majority of perpetrators who were actively planning their violent attack broadcasted their intentions to other individuals such a friend or the potential targets (Abel et al, 2022; Hendrix et al, 2022; Lankford et al, 2019; Meloy & O’Toole, 2011). Research has found that, in a sample of school shooters, the perpetrators often disclosed information to at least one other person about their plans and/or aspirations to commit a mass shooting (Bondü & Scheithauer, 2014; Hendrix et al, 2022; Meloy & O’Toole, 2011).…”

Student Outcomes from the Pilot Test of a Comprehensive School Safety Framework for High Schools: Student Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility for School Safety (SOARS)

“…Studies of statewide tiplines revealed that over half of public middle and high schools in the U.S. use tiplines, though most (60%) have been in operation for less than three years (Planty et al, 2015). School principals surveyed about tiplines’ effectiveness felt that the tiplines were mostly effective, but that insufficient or untimely information made responding challenging (Hendrix et al, 2022; Planty et al, 2015). There is little information about usage patterns of tiplines across student demographic groups.…”