Texas Border Business
AUSTIN – This week, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) hosted the 2025 Texas Targeted Violence Prevention and Behavioral Threat Management Conference at the Hilton Palacio del Rio in San Antonio. The three-day conference, which ran Jan. 13 through 15, brought together more than 350 stakeholders from across the country to learn from subject matter experts on mitigating the risks and the prevention of targeted violence and terrorism.
“Targeted violence and terrorism could happen any day, at any moment, anywhere, which makes it more important than ever that we come together to learn the warning signs and how we can work together to prevent them,” said DPS Colonel Freeman F. Martin. “Through the Texas Targeted Violence Prevention and Behavioral Threat Management Conference, DPS is helping provide training and education to some key groups that play a critical role in safeguarding our communities from these types of threats.”
Conference attendees included local, state, federal and tribal officials; law enforcement personnel; mental health professionals; legal professionals; and representatives from faith-based organizations, schools, colleges, universities, community service organizations and Fortune 500 companies from 19 states.
During the conference, stakeholders had the opportunity to attend lectures and breakout sessions led by a variety of subject matter experts from DPS and other local, statewide and national organizations, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Secret Service, Texas Education Agency, Texas School Safety Center, Parents for Peace and Kroger. Topics covered pre-attack indicators, threat assessment and management, crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques, post-incident management and community-based initiatives to redirect individuals from the pathway violence. Attendees also heard talks by survivors of mass violence and family members of perpetrators.
Also of note, more than 100 attendees earned Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Training (TVTP) certificates during the conference. Offered by DPS, TVTP provides formal instruction to the public on pre-attack indicators, reporting options and available resources within their community to prevent targeted violence and terrorism.
Just last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed DPS to surge Anti-Terrorism Task Force resources across the state, including the implementation of the Texas Behavioral Threat Assessment Intervention and Prevention Program Strategy as well as training and education—like TVTP— to prevent terrorism and targeted violence. Offered by DPS, TVTP provides formal instruction to the public on pre-attack indicators, reporting options and available resources within their community to prevent targeted violence and terrorism. For information on attending or bringing a TVTP Training to your area, visit the DPS website.
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