On September 9, 2024, members of the State and Local Anti-Terrorism Training (SLATT) Program team and two subject-matter experts (SMEs) delivered a virtual training titled, “Homegrown Violent Extremist–Threat to Law Enforcement, The Jesse Hartnett Ambush Story.” The 180-minute presentation consisted of a lesson from the “Detect & Interdict: Specialized Roles in Uncovering and Preventing Terrorism” (DISRUPT) training course curriculum and was hosted by the New England State Police Information Network (NESPIN), Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Center. Prior to the event, a training flyer was developed and broadly disseminated by SLATT and the NESPIN.
The virtual training event focused on building awareness for investigators, analysts, and frontline law enforcement officers who are responsible for addressing complex terrorism and targeted violence threats within their jurisdictions. The lesson consisted of brief SLATT and ROCIC program overviews, to include available training and resources; a comprehensive terrorism threat overview; and the compelling survivor story of retired Philadelphia Police Officer Jesse Hartnett, who was ambushed by a homegrown violent extremist (HVE) while on duty in his patrol car on January 7, 2016. Officer Hartnett provided an in-depth analysis of his experience, to include the pre-attack environment, the attack itself, the HVE attacker, and crucial information that might have prevented the ambush event. At the conclusion of the virtual event, participants were provided with QR codes to download presentation resources and to provide evaluative feedback.
Approximately 67 participants attended the virtual training event. Of the 21 attendees who provided feedback, 100% found the instructors to be effective and knowledgeable, were satisfied with the course, found the information useful, indicated that their knowledge increased, that the course was relevant to their job, and that they would recommend the course to others. In addition, 95% stated that they plan to apply lessons learned from the training. Attendees stated that all the topics and materials presented were “extremely valuable,” with one participant noting that the training would enhance their role as their agency liaison to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Joint Terrorism Task Force. Another attendee commented that “the lessons learned from Jesse's incident were extremely valuable. Things like making sure equipment is on your person, being knowledgeable about the goings-on in your community, and reviewing our agency's post-shooting procedures. I found Jesse's presentation to be extremely valuable to take to the field.” In addition, one attendee stated that the presentation “brought the topic of radical extremist home. We hear a lot about lone wolf terrorists, but Jessie’s presentation shows the radicalization, the terrorist act, the reaction by the officer, and how to survive the aftermath. It was thorough and complete.”
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