Now that we have had your Critical Aggression Prevention System (CAPS) in place for two years, we have been very pleased with its utility.

CAPS’s Meter of Emerging Aggression has produced evaluations and results consistent with the observations of those on our Student Assistance & Intervention Team (SAIT), as we work at tracking students on our campus who are behaving in ways that concern faculty, staff or others in the campus community

It has become very clear that having a system in place that allows us to look at the totality of circumstances, regarding a student behavior in an objective way, we are now able to truly assist and/or intervene in a timely, appropriate manner, with a focus on a “preventive” result.

I have been very pleased with the use of the Meter of Emerging Aggression (MEA) software. We are able to place all information into the Incident Report (IR) as we gather it. The MEA is now placed directly on the IR as a graphic representation that allows us to see evidence of any emerging aggression, and we found that our response is closely linked with the Meter.

Our campus legal counsel is very pleased that we are using the CAPS training and MEA software, to record all of the information we gather, including actions taken, in a clear, concise and formal way. Utilizing your system has provided an opportunity for the members of the SAIT to combine their professional knowledge and experience with the foundation grounded in your research in order to find ways to assist our students with resolving issues before they develop into crisis situations. The SAIT feels that by looking at the totality of circumstances we can make a much better decision regarding what tools the student needs in order to be successful as a student on our campus.

I cannot say enough about the assistance provided by the programmers. They have been willing and very able to take our requests and suggestions regarding the software and take actions as necessary to make changes or improvements to ensure that the system provides us with an excellent tool.

I will end this brief narrative with my continued appreciation for your support, and your continued willingness to do all you can to enhance the efforts of EKU to identify and assist or intervene with students who have been identified as “students of concern”. The ongoing contact with you ensures that EKU and the Center for Aggression Management will continue to work as partners in the field of campus aggression, targeted violence, and student assistance

I would rather be spending our resources and time in prevention than in reacting!I would rather be spending our resources and time in prevention than in reacting!

For years, I have presented Active Shooter and Workplace Violence seminars and Tabletop Exercises. I have always been troubled that we have talked mostly about the actions and aftermath. The Center for Aggression Management has put my mind at ease with the Critical Aggression Prevention System (CAPS). CAPS is the "ounce of prevention" that has been missing from the standard approach to workplace violence. The lives saved by using this approach could be countless!.

Having taught Workplace Violence Prevention to dozens of security staff as well as operations leaders in the lodging industry, a number of facts have always stood out to me. How woefully unprepared the lodging industry is in calculating the financial losses that hostile work environments cause as well as the ability to prevent, mitigate, respond and recover from an aggression driven event. Empirical evidence has proven both to be true. After every class I taught, attendees would comment on how more training on this topic is necessary. Recently I attended a webinar presented by John D. Byrnes, Founder and CEO of the Center for Aggression Management on CAPS (Critical Aggression Prevention System). Like the attendees of my Workplace Violence programs I can state with confidence that CAPS training is a must for all Security leaders in the lodging industry.

CAPS is a scientifically proven method of recognizing and successfully responding to the earliest stages of aggression. As someone who has studied and trained extensively on the topic of WPV I can state with confidence that CAPS will teach you the most comprehensive and effective methods in providing your property with the safest environment possible. CAPS should be part of every hotels safety program. This training is CRITICAL for all hotels since, by their very business model and diverse work environments are often exposed to a myriad of risks. CAPS provides even the most seasoned safety and security professional with the necessary skills to enhance your safety programs.

I strongly encourage you to contact Mr. Byrnes at johnbyrnes@aggressionmanagement.com and mention you were sent by Steve Howard. This is a professional development program you will put to immediate use and will improve overall productivity and safety on your property.".

After doing three radio shows with John D. Byrnes, I had an epiphany. When John described the differences between a Primal Aggressor (the adrenaline-driven emotional hot head) and a Cognitive Aggressor (the intent-driven tactical schemer) I realized that it wasnt the loudmouths that typically shot up a school or workplace it was the calm quiet ones. As a former cop and now a security expert, I also realized that these Cognitive Aggressors were not being seen by security or law enforcement. I have had all kinds of experts on SecurityGuyRadio.com and many of them talked about "preventing" violence but I now realize that methods like Threat Assessment are too often reactionary, not preventive. Whereas, Johns scientifically-validated Critical Aggression Prevention System (CAPS) actually does reliably prevent violence.

Working in contract security for 9 years I was faced with a real problem. My security guard staff could not begin to prevent an active shooter incident, because they were so violent, even though my guards were trained or armed to deal with it. The best I could do was train them to avoid being a target and protect themselves first, so they could survive and assist in directing resources to a shooting scene.

Also, Johns methods could help identify aggressive behavior at very early aggressive stages, before aggressive behavior escalated into violence or murder. We hear too much about the epidemic of bullying, verbal abuse and discrimination and how these behaviors hurt students and employees alike. I learned that bullying, verbal abuse and discrimination presuppose someone exhibiting these destructive behaviors, so we are reacting to them, not preventing them. We learned to identify the scientifically-validated precursors to bullying, verbal abuse and discrimination so that we could actually prevent this destructive behavior.

This course should be taken by every law enforcement officer and security professional that wants to remain as safe as possible and reliably prevent violence, bullying, verbal abuse and discrimination.

The Center for Aggression Managements Critical Aggression Prevention System (CAPS) is an invaluable and necessary tool for officers working in the fields of public safety and security. This is especially true at college and university campuses, where we see such a diverse mix of people from different cultures, religions, political beliefs, and social concerns. In such a potentially volatile mix, being reactive invites disaster.

Once aggression has been allowed to grow, it quickly surpasses the ability to respond to it. While the officer is busy reacting to one stage of aggression, the aggressor is busy escalating to a higher stage of aggression: its a losing proposition. Even worse, public safety or security officers are often the first target; and should security officers need to use their firearm - as in an active shooter incident - too often they lack certain legal and liability protections afforded to law enforcement officers.

CAPS allows us to defuse aggression at a low level, avoid escalation, return the campus to equilibrium, and avoid the horrific ramifications of allowing aggression to reach a lethal level of confrontation. CAPS goal is to make the college or university campuses "as safe as possible," the highest form of evidence-based Best Practices.

Comments by Robert Paluch, C.P.S., Honors Graduate of Executive Security International, having earned his Certified Protection Specialist (C.P.S.) certification in 2012. Mr. Paluch has also held a State of Illinois Armed Security Officer license since 1982 and is currently working on earning his Certified Security Specialist (C.S.S.) certification through Executive Security International. He is a Medical First Responder and has an extensive background in clinical nutrition and alternative medicine. He recently earned his certification and is credentialed as a Center for Aggression Management Ambassador (C.A.M.A.), which authorizes him under the agreement to conduct all training for the Centers Critical Aggression Prevention System (CAPS). His calling is to create safe work and school environments for everyone.

This is a system (Critical Aggression Prevention System: CAPS) that we will be utilizing at our organization to improve the overall safety for; patients, visitors, and staff. This system allows any organization to be proactive in dealing with aggression. Take the time to educate leaders at your organization to show the value in implementing an Aggression Management System!.

Our facility signed up for this class so we could gain the knowledge to appropriately deal with aggressive behavior after dealing with a tragic event. Our facility made the decision to be proactive and no longer reactive in dealing with aggressive behavior. John was able to provide this information in an informative and convenient manner. The information learned from this class is applicable to any and all industries and facilities making it the ideal tool in dealing with aggressive behavior.

Great workshop, very detailed, and a productive use of my time. Johns style of teaching is effective, professional and ensures that his students are getting key information!.

This program brought campus departments together to formulate a common dialogue of practices in handling, identifying and preventing aggressive behavior.