UB social work researcher receives Homeland Security grant to prevent targeted violence, terrorism

BUFFALO, N.Y. – In the aftermath of the 2022 Tops mass shooting in Buffalo by a domestic terrorist who attacked African Americans, killing 10 and injuring three, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order mandating that all counties in New York State develop and maintain prevention networks to identify and confront threats of targeted violence.

These networks and the process of determining threats and preventing that level of violence relies heavily on behavioral health professionals in the state, including social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists and others, who have been called to engage in targeted violence and terrorism prevention, ranging from addressing community risk and protective factors to rehabilitating radicalized individuals.

But it’s not clear how many of these professionals know that they have this critical role to play in the governor’s violence prevention plan or if they’re prepared and properly trained for such a responsibility, according to Patricia Logan-Greene, PhD, an associate professor in the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. She is the principal investigator of a roughly $370,500 grant from the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships that will assess those needs and develop training to address knowledge gaps.

“Everyone in the Buffalo area and beyond was devasted by the May 14 mass shooting,” says Logan-Greene, an expert on violence prevention. “Finding ways to improve the skill set and knowledge base for behavioral health professionals to prevent such a heinous act from ever happening again greatly motivates my work.”

Along with co-investigator Royce Hutson, PhD, an associate professor of social work at Boise State University, Logan-Greene will develop a program consisting of two separate projects.

Project one is a two-step needs assessment among the state’s behavioral health professionals that will offer a series of awareness-building focus groups. There will also be a statewide online survey of behavioral health professionals to determine the current state of knowledge and practice in the areas of targeted violence and terrorism prevention, in addition to their perceived needs for additional training in those areas.

The second project will develop and test a series of online training programs that will be made available to behavioral health professionals across the state.

“We are in an era of exponentially increasing violence that is both targeted and politically motivated,” says Logan-Greene. “When individuals and hate groups are empowered to violence, there’s an increased need for trained professionals in the behavioral and mental health disciplines to prevent that violence, not only from those who are already radicalized, but also to strengthen communities and prevent future threats.”