TIP SHEET: Experts available to comment on Las Vegas tragedy, strategies to prevent violence

Beverly Kingston, director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) at CU Boulder, and Bill Woodward, training director at CSPV, are available to discuss research-based strategies for preventing violence, including mass shootings.

“A lot of times someone hears or sees something that doesn’t seem right and they don’t know who to call or how to report it. We would say: Do something,” says Kingston.

She points to research by the U.S. Secret Service showing, in four out of five mass shootings at schools, someone other than the attacker knew of the plans. “They also found that most attackers engaged in some behavior prior to the incident that caused concern or indicated a need for help,” Kingston says.

She credits Colorado’s Safe2Tell initiative, out of the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, as an important resource for preventing numerous subsequent tragedies. Founded after the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, Safe2Tell provides a 24-hour anonymous tip line for citizens to report concerning behavior.

Kingston can be reached at beverly.kingston@colorado.edu. For further assistance, email Lisa Marshall, CU Boulder media relations, at lisa.marshall@colorado.edu.