Private Sector Threat Assessment in Hawaii: How CrisisWire Complements Government Programs for Business Security
- CrisisWire
- Nov 8
- 14 min read
A Honolulu private school administrator receives a threatening email from a terminated employee. A Kapolei manufacturing company discovers an employee researching workplace attacks online. A Waikiki hotel needs to assess a guest making concerning statements about violence. These situations require immediate expert response—but government threat assessment resources are already managing dozens of cases with weeks-long wait times.
That's where private sector threat assessment fills a critical gap in Hawaii's security infrastructure.
Hawaii has built robust government-led threat assessment programs through Threat Team Hawaii, University of Hawaii West Oahu's BTAM training, and the Hawaii State Fusion Center. These programs provide essential coordination, training, and intelligence sharing for public institutions. But private organizations—businesses, healthcare facilities, private schools, and corporations—often need specialized services that government programs aren't designed to deliver.
CrisisWire Threat Management Solutions works alongside Hawaii's government threat assessment infrastructure, providing private sector organizations with rapid-response consulting, implementation support, and specialized capabilities that complement—not compete with—public programs. This article explains how Hawaii's threat assessment ecosystem works, where government and private sector roles intersect, and when organizations should engage private consulting versus government resources.
Understanding Hawaii's Threat Assessment Infrastructure
Hawaii has developed one of the nation's most coordinated approaches to targeted violence prevention, integrating federal resources, state agencies, academic institutions, and law enforcement into a comprehensive threat assessment network.
Threat Team Hawaii (TTH): Statewide Coordination
Threat Team Hawaii serves as the state's multidisciplinary consultation resource for complex threat cases. The team includes representatives from Honolulu Police Department, FBI Honolulu, state mental health services, Hawaii Department of Education, and homeland security.
What TTH Does:
Consults on high-complexity cases (terrorism, mass violence planning, extremism)
Coordinates multi-agency responses
Provides case review for local threat assessment teams
Shares intelligence across jurisdictions
Connects organizations with appropriate resources
What TTH Doesn't Do:
Immediate response (cases require submission and review process)
Direct implementation for private organizations
Proprietary business consulting
Executive protection assessments
Corporate vulnerability audits
Ongoing case management for private clients
Timeline: Organizations typically wait 2-4 weeks for TTH consultation on submitted cases, appropriate for complex threats requiring multi-agency coordination but not suitable for time-sensitive private sector needs.
University of Hawaii West Oahu: Training & Certification
UH West Oahu's BTAM program provides the academic foundation for threat assessment in Hawaii. The university offers Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) certification, Foundations of Threat Assessment training, and coordinates the ECHO project expanding threat assessment capacity statewide.
What UH West Oahu Provides:
BTAM certification (40-hour training program)
Foundations courses (8-hour introductory training)
Academic research on violence prevention
Annual threat assessment conferences
What UH West Oahu Doesn't Provide:
Direct consulting for private organizations
Implementation support after training
Ongoing team coaching
Policy development
Case management services
Rapid response for active threats
Training Timeline: BTAM certification requires 40 hours of classroom instruction plus competency exam. Organizations complete training but often struggle with practical implementation—creating policies, forming teams, managing actual cases. This gap between training and implementation is where private sector consulting becomes essential.
Hawaii State Fusion Center: Intelligence Sharing
The Hawaii State Fusion Center coordinates threat intelligence sharing between federal, state, and local agencies. Following Department of Homeland Security protocols, the Fusion Center analyzes terrorism threats, tracks extremist activity, and disseminates intelligence bulletins.
What Fusion Center Does:
Terrorism threat analysis
Criminal intelligence sharing
Major event security planning
Extremism monitoring
What Fusion Center Doesn't Do:
Workplace violence assessment
Employee threat investigations
Customer violence evaluation
Private sector consulting
Business continuity planning
Access: The Fusion Center primarily serves law enforcement and critical infrastructure. Private companies rarely have direct access to Fusion Center resources unless threats involve terrorism or cross-jurisdictional criminal activity.
Department of Education: Public School Focus
Hawaii Department of Education implements House Bill 539 requiring threat assessment teams in all 257 public schools. The DOE coordinates with UH West Oahu for training and Threat Team Hawaii for complex cases.
What DOE Provides:
Public school threat assessment protocols
Student behavioral intervention
What DOE Doesn't Provide:
Private school consulting
Corporate security services
Healthcare facility assessment
Business threat evaluation
Limitation: Hawaii's 70+ private schools—including Punahou, Iolani, Mid-Pacific Institute, and dozens of smaller institutions—aren't covered by DOE programs and must develop independent threat assessment capabilities, typically requiring private consulting support.
The Private Sector Gap: What Government Programs Don't Address
Government threat assessment programs excel at coordination, training, and intelligence sharing. But private organizations face security challenges these programs weren't designed to solve.
Speed Requirements
When a Waikiki hotel manager discovers a guest with weapons and a manifesto, waiting three weeks for Threat Team Hawaii consultation isn't viable. The situation requires immediate expert assessment—within hours, not weeks.
KHON2 reported increasing violence incidents across Hawaii requiring rapid organizational response. Honolulu Civil Beat documented that delayed security responses amplify risk. Private companies can't afford bureaucratic timelines when threats escalate quickly.
Government Timeline: 2-4 weeks for case consultation
Private Sector Requirement: Same-day to 48-hour response
CrisisWire Response: 24-hour assessment, immediate intervention planning
Confidentiality Concerns
Private companies fear government reporting requirements. When a Campbell Industrial Park manufacturer discovers an employee exhibiting concerning behaviors, involving government agencies may trigger mandatory law enforcement notification—even if the situation doesn't yet warrant criminal investigation.
Businesses need confidential threat assessment that addresses security concerns without premature involvement of authorities that could escalate situations or expose the organization to litigation. Workplace violence prevention often requires quiet investigation, discrete monitoring, and carefully managed interventions—capabilities private consultants provide without government reporting obligations.
This confidentiality matters particularly for:
Executive protection assessments
Employee behavioral concerns not yet criminal
Customer violence patterns
Proprietary security vulnerabilities
Implementation Support
UH West Oahu's BTAM training provides excellent theoretical foundation. Organizations send teams to 40-hour certification courses, learn Secret Service methodologies, study FBI behavioral analysis, and return certified in threat assessment principles.
Then reality hits. How do you actually write threat assessment policies? What information can you legally access under FERPA or HIPAA? How do you handle the first real case when team members disagree on risk level? What documentation protects you from liability? When do you involve police versus handling internally?
Academic training doesn't answer these operational questions. Organizations need implementation consultants who bridge the gap between theory and practice—developing policies, coaching teams through actual cases, creating documentation systems, and ensuring legal compliance.
Common Post-Training Struggles:
Policy development (no template provided)
Case documentation systems
Legal compliance questions (FERPA, HIPAA, ADA)
Team coordination (who leads?)
Risk level disagreements
Intervention planning
Law enforcement coordination
Family/employee notification
Ongoing monitoring protocols
CrisisWire provides turnkey implementation—custom policy development, team coaching, case management support, and operational guidance that transforms training into functional programs.
Specialized Private Sector Services
Government programs focus on coordination and training. Private organizations need specialized services these programs don't offer:
OSINT & Social Media Monitoring: Tracking employee social media for concerning posts, monitoring online radicalization indicators, identifying threats before they materialize. Government agencies can't provide ongoing social media surveillance for private companies.
Corporate Vulnerability Audits: Comprehensive security assessments identifying physical vulnerabilities, access control weaknesses, insider threat risks. These proprietary assessments reveal competitive information companies won't share with government programs.
Executive Protection Intelligence: Assessing threats against senior leadership, evaluating stalking concerns, protective intelligence for high-profile executives. This personalized security requires private consulting discretion.
Insider Threat Programs: Monitoring employee behavior for espionage indicators, sabotage planning, workplace violence precursors. Companies need internal threat detection without involving external government agencies until criminal activity emerges.
Business Continuity During Investigations: When organizations investigate threats, operations must continue. Private consultants manage cases while minimizing business disruption—something government agencies coordinating multiple cases can't prioritize.
Industry-Specific Expertise
Hawaii's government programs serve diverse constituents—public schools, state agencies, critical infrastructure. Private sector consultants specialize in specific industries:
Private Healthcare: KHON2 reported 63% of Hawaii nurses experienced workplace violence. Queen's Medical Center and Hawaii State Hospital face unique threats requiring healthcare-specific threat assessment that addresses HIPAA compliance, patient rights, and Joint Commission standards.
Corporate Environments: Workplace violence prevention in business settings requires understanding employment law, ADA considerations when mental health factors into threats, union dynamics, and OSHA compliance. Government programs don't specialize in corporate threat assessment.
Private Schools: Hawaii's 70+ private schools need campus security assessments but don't qualify for DOE programs. Private consultants understand independent school culture, tuition-paying parent expectations, and competitive positioning concerns that differentiate private education security.
Tourism & Hospitality: Waikiki hotels, neighbor island resorts, and tourism operators face customer violence, guest mental health crises, and reputation protection concerns requiring specialized assessment. Honolulu's tourism industry needs threat evaluation that balances security with guest experience—expertise government programs don't develop.
How CrisisWire Complements Hawaii's Threat Assessment Infrastructure
CrisisWire operates as the private sector implementation arm of Hawaii's threat assessment ecosystem—not competing with government programs but filling gaps these programs can't address.
Partnership Model: Collaborative Not Competitive
When to Engage Government Resources:
Terrorism-related threats → Hawaii State Fusion Center
Multi-jurisdictional cases → Threat Team Hawaii
BTAM certification training → UH West Oahu
Public school threats → Hawaii DOE
Criminal investigations → Honolulu PD
When to Engage CrisisWire:
Private company threats requiring rapid response
Confidential executive protection assessment
Implementation after BTAM training
Ongoing case management support
Industry-specific consulting (healthcare, hospitality, corporate)
Collaborative Approach:
Organizations can—and should—leverage both resources. A Kapolei private school might:
Send administrators to UH West Oahu BTAM training
Engage CrisisWire for implementation support—developing policies, forming teams, creating documentation
Manage routine cases internally with CrisisWire coaching
Consult Threat Team Hawaii for complex cases involving weapons or criminal activity
Report criminal threats to Honolulu PD
This layered approach maximizes resources—using government programs for training and high-complexity consultation while relying on private consulting for implementation and operational support.
Speed: 24-Hour Response vs. Weeks
When Honolulu Civil Beat reported campus violence concerns, schools needed immediate assessment. When KHON2 documented West Oahu's violence crisis, organizations required rapid response.
Hour 0: Organization contacts CrisisWire about threat situation
Hour 2: Initial consultation call, gather basic information
Hour 6: Preliminary risk assessment, immediate recommendations
Hour 24: Comprehensive written assessment with intervention plan
Hour 48: Implementation support begins
Comparison:
Threat Team Hawaii: 2-4 weeks for consultation
CrisisWire: 24-48 hours for assessment and intervention plan
Speed matters when threats escalate. Research shows attackers often move from ideation to action within days or weeks. Organizations can't wait for bureaucratic processes when employee safety is at stake.
Confidentiality: Private Consulting Advantage
A Honolulu law firm discovers a partner exhibiting concerning behaviors—paranoid statements, social withdrawal, researching workplace attacks. The firm needs threat assessment without triggering mandatory reporting that could:
Expose the firm to wrongful termination litigation
Damage attorney-client relationships if clients learn of internal threats
Force premature law enforcement involvement before criminal activity
Create public relations crisis if media reports investigation
Private consulting provides confidential assessment. CrisisWire evaluates the situation, determines risk level, and recommends interventions—all under attorney-client privilege if retained through legal counsel. Only if the threat escalates to criminal planning does the firm involve Honolulu PD or Threat Team Hawaii.
This confidentiality is essential for:
Executive protection assessments
Employee behavioral investigations
Customer violence patterns
Competitor threat analysis
Proprietary security vulnerabilities
Implementation Expertise: Theory to Practice
Many Hawaii organizations complete UH West Oahu BTAM training but struggle with implementation. Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported DOE employees received workplace violence training but lacked operational protocols when threatened.
Post-Training Implementation Challenges:
Challenge 1: Policy Development Training teaches Secret Service pathways to violence. It doesn't provide actual policies. Organizations need templates covering:
Team composition and responsibilities
Information sharing protocols
Legal compliance (FERPA, HIPAA, ADA)
Risk level criteria
Intervention procedures
Documentation requirements
Law enforcement coordination
CrisisWire develops custom policies aligned with organizational culture, industry regulations, and Hawaii legal requirements.
Challenge 2: Team Coordination Who leads the team? How do you resolve disagreements on risk levels? What if HR says low risk but law enforcement liaison says high risk?
Training covers multidisciplinary benefits. It doesn't teach team dynamics, conflict resolution, or decision-making protocols when experts disagree.
CrisisWire coaches teams through real cases, facilitating discussions, teaching consensus-building, and providing third-party expertise when internal teams reach impasses.
Challenge 3: Legal Compliance Can you access employee medical records under HIPAA? Can schools share student information under FERPA? Can you terminate someone for mental health-related threats under ADA?
Training mentions legal considerations. It doesn't provide legal guidance for specific situations. Organizations need consultants who understand Hawaii law, federal regulations, and liability mitigation.
CrisisWire brings 40 years of operational experience—U.S. Air Force security, LAPD police operations, U.S. Embassy Baghdad protection (2,400+ threat assessments), university campus safety leadership. This experience translates training into operational programs.
Specialized Services Beyond Government Scope
When Civil Beat investigated online threats leading to school incidents, they found most weren't reported until after concerning posts escalated.
CrisisWire provides continuous OSINT monitoring—tracking employee social media for violence indicators, monitoring customer online behavior, identifying radicalization patterns. This proactive surveillance catches threats at ideation stage, before planning begins.
Government programs don't offer ongoing social media monitoring for private organizations. FBI and DHS monitor terrorism threats. They don't track your employee's concerning Instagram posts or customer's threatening Facebook activity.
Physical security assessments identify organizational vulnerabilities an attacker would exploit:
Access control weaknesses
Surveillance blind spots
Security protocol gaps
Insider threat opportunities
Executive exposure points
These proprietary assessments reveal competitive information companies won't share with government agencies. CrisisWire conducts confidential audits with results delivered only to organizational leadership.
Hawaii executives face unique threats—stalking, harassment, targeted attacks. Private protection intelligence assesses:
Stalker risk evaluation
Public exposure vulnerabilities
Family safety concerns
Travel security planning
Residential protection
CrisisWire delivers executive protection assessment with discretion government programs can't provide.
FBI reports insider threats cause billions in damages annually. ASIS International research shows most workplace violence involves current or former employees.
Organizations need insider threat detection monitoring:
Data access anomalies
Policy violations suggesting sabotage planning
Financial stress indicators
Concerning behavioral changes
Workplace grievance patterns
CrisisWire develops insider threat programs balancing security with employee privacy, detecting threats early while protecting civil rights.
Industry Expertise Government Programs Don't Develop
Healthcare: KHON2's investigation found 63% of Hawaii nurses experienced violence. Queen's Medical Center workers reported physical, sexual, and verbal assaults. Hawaii State Hospital documented 1,700+ employee assaults over 11 years.
Healthcare threat assessment requires specialized knowledge:
HIPAA compliance when assessing patient threats
Joint Commission standards for workplace violence prevention
De-escalation protocols for psychiatric patients
Family violence during end-of-life care
OSHA requirements for healthcare workplace safety
CrisisWire specializes in healthcare security—understanding medical culture, regulatory requirements, and unique threat patterns government programs don't address.
Corporate Security: Workplace violence prevention in business environments requires:
ADA compliance when mental health contributes to threats
Termination violence risk assessment
Customer violence patterns
Domestic violence spillover
Union considerations during investigations
CrisisWire brings corporate security expertise from Fortune 500 consulting, manufacturing security, and business continuity planning.
Private Education: Hawaii's 70+ private schools need campus security balancing safety with educational mission. CrisisWire understands independent school dynamics:
Tuition-paying parent expectations
Student disciplinary balance (security vs. education)
Campus culture preservation
Competitive positioning concerns
FERPA compliance for student threat assessment
Tourism & Hospitality: Waikiki hotels and resort properties face guest mental health crises, customer violence, and reputation protection concerns. CrisisWire provides tourism-specific threat assessment balancing security with guest experience—expertise government programs focused on schools and critical infrastructure don't develop.
When to Engage CrisisWire vs. Government Resources
Contact Threat Team Hawaii When:
Threats involve terrorism or extremism
Multiple agencies need coordination
Criminal investigation is underway
Subject has weapons and detailed attack plans
Case complexity exceeds local team capabilities
Contact CrisisWire When:
Private organization needs rapid assessment (24-48 hours)
Confidential investigation is required
Implementation support needed after BTAM training
Specialized services required (OSINT, corporate audits, executive protection)
Ongoing case management needed
Industry-specific expertise required (healthcare, corporate, private schools)
Organization wants to avoid government reporting until threat escalates
Team needs coaching through actual cases
Use Both Resources When:
Your team completes UH West Oahu BTAM training
You manage routine cases internally with CrisisWire coaching
Complex cases require Threat Team Hawaii consultation
Criminal activity emerges requiring Honolulu PD involvement
This layered approach maximizes resources—government programs provide training and high-level coordination, private consulting delivers operational implementation.
CrisisWire's Credentials: BTAM-Certified + 40 Years Experience
What distinguishes CrisisWire from other private consultants? The combination of formal BTAM certification with four decades of operational security experience.
Academic Credentials:
BTAM-certified through University of Hawaii West Oahu
Same training Threat Team Hawaii members complete
Operational Experience:
U.S. Air Force: Nuclear weapons security, force protection
LAPD: Police officer, patrol operations, vice crimes investigation
U.S. Embassy Baghdad: Protection operations, 2,400+ threat assessments conducted in high-threat environment
University Campus Safety: Director-level leadership implementing threat assessment programs
Published Author: Five books on threat assessment
Academic Research: Peer-reviewed publications on Academia.edu
Media Expert: Featured on ABC7 Los Angeles, NPR/LAist discussing threat assessment
This combination—academic training plus operational experience—means CrisisWire doesn't just understand threat assessment theory. We've managed thousands of real cases, made life-or-death decisions under pressure, and implemented programs that prevented violence.
Government programs provide excellent training. CrisisWire brings training PLUS decades of real-world application.
Hawaii Organizations Successfully Using Combined Approach
Case Study 1: Honolulu Private School
A 600-student independent school faced escalating student behavioral concerns. The school:
Sent administrators to UH West Oahu BTAM training
Engaged CrisisWire for implementation—developed policies, formed threat assessment team, created documentation systems
Managed routine cases internally with quarterly CrisisWire coaching calls
Consulted Threat Team Hawaii when student brought weapon to campus
Coordinated with Honolulu PD for criminal investigation
Result: School prevented two potential attacks, maintained enrollment, avoided litigation, and developed sustainable threat assessment capability.
Case Study 2: Hawaii Healthcare System
A multi-facility healthcare system responding to KHON2's reporting on nurse violence implemented comprehensive threat assessment:
Partnered with CrisisWire for system-wide assessment
Developed healthcare-specific policies addressing HIPAA compliance
Trained facility threat assessment teams
Implemented OSINT monitoring for repeat violent patients
Created coordination protocols with Honolulu PD
Result: 40% reduction in violent incidents, improved staff retention, Joint Commission compliance, and sustainable violence prevention program.
Case Study 3: Kapolei Corporate Campus
A James Campbell Industrial Park employer discovered employee researching workplace attacks online:
Contacted CrisisWire for immediate assessment (24-hour response)
CrisisWire conducted OSINT investigation, employee interviews, workplace assessment
Determined medium-risk requiring intervention but not immediate law enforcement
Implemented monitoring, EAP referral, security protocols
Situation de-escalated without criminal activity
Result: Threat resolved confidentially, employee received help, company avoided wrongful termination litigation, and developed internal threat assessment capability.
Getting Started: Implementing Threat Assessment in Your Hawaii Organization
Whether you're a private school in Honolulu, a healthcare facility in Hilo, a corporate employer in Kapolei, or a hotel in Waikiki, implementing threat assessment follows a structured process:
Step 1: Assess Current Capabilities
Do you have:
Step 2: Choose Training Path
Academic Training: UH West Oahu BTAM certification provides foundational knowledge. Send 2-4 team members to 40-hour certification program.
Implementation Support: Engage CrisisWire for operational development—policy creation, team formation, case management systems.
Step 3: Develop Infrastructure
Working with CrisisWire consultants:
Write threat assessment policies
Form multidisciplinary teams
Create documentation systems
Establish legal compliance protocols
Develop law enforcement coordination
Implement reporting mechanisms
Step 4: Build Ongoing Capability
Quarterly team training
Annual policy review
Case consultation as needed
OSINT monitoring for high-risk situations
Coordination with Threat Team Hawaii for complex cases
Step 5: Leverage All Resources
UH West Oahu for training
CrisisWire for implementation and ongoing support
Threat Team Hawaii for complex consultation
Honolulu PD for criminal investigations
Hawaii State Fusion Center for terrorism concerns
Why Hawaii Organizations Choose CrisisWire
Speed: 24-48 hour response versus weeks for government consultation
Confidentiality: Private assessment without mandatory government reporting
Implementation Expertise: 40 years translating theory into operational programs
Specialized Services: OSINT monitoring, corporate audits, executive protection, insider threat programs
Industry Expertise: Healthcare, corporate, private schools, tourism—specialized knowledge government programs don't develop
Credentials: BTAM-certified + decades of operational experience
Partnership Approach: Work alongside government programs, not competing with them
Proven Results: Zero incidents at protected facilities, successful case resolutions, sustainable program development
Resources for Hawaii Threat Assessment
Government Programs:
Threat Team Hawaii: Complex case consultation
UH West Oahu BTAM: Training and certification
Hawaii State Fusion Center: Intelligence sharing
Honolulu Police Department: Law enforcement coordination
Federal Resources:
Secret Service NTAC: Threat assessment research
FBI: Behavioral analysis guidance
DHS: Active shooter preparedness
Department of Justice: Workplace violence prevention
Private Sector Support:
CrisisWire Threat Management: Implementation consulting
Behavioral Threat Assessment Services: Oahu coverage
Workplace Violence Prevention: Hawaii Island services
Campus Security Assessments: Private schools
Corporate Vulnerability Audits: Business security
Take Action: Protect Your Organization
If your Hawaii organization needs threat assessment support:
For Immediate Threats: Contact CrisisWire for 24-hour response and assessment.
For Program Development: Schedule consultation to discuss implementing threat assessment at your organization.
For Training + Implementation: Combine UH West Oahu BTAM certification with CrisisWire implementation support.
For Complex Cases: Leverage both CrisisWire assessment and Threat Team Hawaii consultation.
Contact CrisisWire: Email: crisiswire@proton.me
Portfolio: bit.ly/crisiswire
Hawaii's threat assessment infrastructure provides excellent government coordination and training. CrisisWire delivers the private sector implementation, specialized services, and rapid response that complete the security ecosystem—protecting Hawaii organizations through partnership, not competition.
Don't wait for violence to force action. Implement threat assessment now following proven frameworks from federal guidelines, state programs, and private sector expertise.
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