Department of Homeland Security (DHS) FY2021 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grantee Evaluation

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate contracted RTI International to conduct research and evaluation of Case Western Reserve University’s (CWRU’s) Fiscal Year 2021 (FY2021) Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) grant, aimed at increasing the capacity of both Northeast Ohio law enforcement and the general public 

to identify, report, and respond to violent extremist threats. The evaluation team conducted a process evaluation of all components of the grant project and an outcome evaluation of CWRU’s online training program.

In its FY2021 TVTP grant, CWRU expanded upon an online violent extremism training program it developed under its FY2020 TVTP grant. After piloting the training program with three agencies in the FY2020 grant, CWRU began promoting the training to all public safety agencies in the Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center’s (NEORFC) Area of Responsibility under the FY2021 grant. As a result, nearly half of all agencies (48%) had one or more officers engage in the training. CWRU also adapted the training for community partners in the area. Participants in both the public safety and community versions of the training demonstrated statistically significant knowledge gain. Though the TVTP grant has ended, CWRU continues to engage with the NEORFC to promote the training program and analyze continuously incoming data.

CWRU additionally collected survey and interview data from law enforcement officers to better understand regional practices around suspicious activity reporting and threat assessment. These data were used to develop a Flexible Threat Assessment and Management Model (FTAMM) to assist agencies in prioritizing detection and referral of violent extremism precursor behaviors. The FTAMM provides information on how to identify behaviors that may precede a terrorist attack and options for prioritizing the reporting and investigation of those behaviors. This model was paired with a training manual to allow for continued engagement after the end of the grant period.