Thankfully, the man suspected of trying to murder the President was better at writing threats than he was at carrying them out.
Jim Leach began his law enforcement career in 1975, and he shares his insights as a multimedia analyst and consultant for Golden Media Group in matters relating to Criminal Justice. He served as a Special Agent in Charge for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
There is a format that investigators look for in determining the seriousness of a threat. The manifesto (whatever that is) supposedly written by Cole Allen looked like he was using one of my old lesson plans when he wrote it!
He hit the “Big 3” characteristics of a genuine threat by saying (1) what he planned to do, (2) how he would do it, and finally, (3) the favorable consequences of his act once it was completed.
The complete threat is too lengthy to include in this article, but you can find it easily on your favorite search engine.
The failed killer continued by including other pertinent points, such as demonstration statements.
After he said what he planned to do, he told us about the weapons he possessed, demonstrating that he was not only willing but also able to commit the act.
A time frame for the act was given by naming the event he would assault.
Probably trying to impress us with his knowledge, he went into detail about the type of shotgun ammunition he chose and why. One consultant observed that the prosecution might use his inclusion of so much detail as evidence that Allen was mentally competent to stand trial.
He also uses a lot of ink saying how incompetent everyone else is, especially the officers on protection duty.
As far as I can determine, the security force was made up of officers from the Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the DC Police, and the National Guard. At least several of the Congressional attendees had their own security units accompanying them. That’s more police than you could find at a good donut shop on a cold morning.
Background checks, to this point, are showing no indication of a violent nature or serious dissatisfaction with the President or the United States. A deeper investigation may uncover evidence of violent thoughts or, perhaps more importantly, a pattern of radicalization.
Another event might not have been so heavily protected.
Allen is said to be a very intelligent person, but don’t forget that people who commit this type of act think differently from those of us who do not plan to rush into a crowded area and gun down a bunch of folks.
Having said that, it is still difficult to understand how a person intelligent enough to draw up such a detailed, obviously, well thought-out threat document would not consider the size of the opposing force.
Of course, that’s assuming Cole Allen wrote the manifesto.
(PHOTO: Jim Leach)
