Our Vision and Mission
CP3 works to create a culture of prevention for targeted violence and terrorism in the United States, similar to what we see for other types of violence prevention, so that individuals know that targeted violence is preventable and understand the role they play in prevention.
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CP3 ensures a safe, informed, and resilient society by fostering a culture of prevention related to targeted violence and terrorism in the United States.
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CP3 strengthens our country’s ability to prevent targeted violence and terrorism nationwide through funding, education, training, evidence-based resources, increased public awareness, and strategic partnerships across every level of government, the private sector, and in local communities.
CP3 Staff
Targeted violence and terrorism prevention requires multidisciplinary approaches. That's why CP3 staff members come from so many diverse backgrounds. Staff experience includes fields like:
- Violence prevention
- Emergency management
- Social work
- Public safety
- Threat assessment and management
- Counterterrorism
- Public health
- Academia
- Community engagement
- Communication
- Military service
- Trauma-informed, behavioral health education.
All of the team is dedicated to enhancing the nation’s capacity to prevent targeted violence and terrorism.
CP3 Director William Braniff
William Braniff is the director of CP3. Within this capacity, he leads the Department’s efforts to strengthen our country’s ability to prevent targeted violence and terrorism. Mr. Braniff previously served as the START director and a professor of the practice at the University of Maryland, the director of practitioner education at West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center, and an instructor in the department of Social Sciences. Mr. Braniff is a graduate of the United States Military Academy. Following his Company Command in the U.S. Army, he attended the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies where he received a master’s degree in international relations. Mr. Braniff then served as a foreign affairs specialist for the National Nuclear Security Agency.
Mr. Braniff has a keen interest in the field of targeted violence and terrorism prevention, bringing extensive experience to DHS. He spoke at the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism in February 2015 and the United We Stand Summit in 2022. Mr. Braniff previously served as a member of the editorial board of the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism-The Hague, the RESOLVE Network Research Advisory Board, the Prosecution Project Advisory Board, the Hedayah Center International Advisory Board, and the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism Independent Advisory Committee, as well as serving as a non-voting advisor to the Board of CHC Global. He was also a founding board member of We the Veterans and Military Families, an organization dedicated to strengthening American democracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
CP3 uses a public health-informed approach to targeted violence and terrorism, focusing on community-based prevention strategies and using evidence-based methods to reduce the risk of violence. This approach respects individuals’ fundamental rights and freedoms and safeguards civil liberties.
CP3's approach to targeted violence and terrorism prevention is informed by key principles from the field of public health. These include prioritizing individuals’ general health and well-being. CP3’s public health-informed approach is based on four levels of prevention:
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Primordial Prevention involves norms, policies, or strategies at the societal level that positively impact the health and well-being of individuals and communities. This includes protecting freedoms and access to resources and opportunity and minimizing harmful conditions. These conditions can create anger, fear, and uncertainty, which violent extremists can exploit and use to place blame on specific communities, labeling them as threats.
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Primary Prevention decreases the likelihood of targeted violence and terrorism by enhancing protective factors that reduce the risk of violence. These can include fostering social inclusion and connectedness among peers and between youth and adults, enhancing community awareness, and supporting civic institutions.
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Secondary Prevention decreases the likelihood of targeted violence and terrorism among individuals exhibiting behavioral indicators associated with previous acts of targeted violence and terrorism. This can include supporting networks that refer individuals to public health providers or behavioral threat assessment and management teams, or by implementing bystander training.
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Tertiary Prevention decreases the likelihood of targeted violence and terrorism among individuals who previously enabled, attempted, or carried out those forms of violence, such as through redirection, rehabilitation, or reintegration programs.
In addition to decreasing the likelihood of violence, these prevention activities create more resilient communities with greater access to the services, institutions and positive relationships that decrease the psychological and social harm that communities face if an act of targeted violence does occur.
CP3 offers a range of support, including technical advice, funding opportunities, and educational resources, to help communities develop their own prevention strategies against targeted violence and terrorism. Led by a public health-informed approach, CP3 promotes the creation of multidisciplinary networks of partners and providers. This approach is designed to strengthen protective factors that empower healthy communities and build capacity among violence prevention providers to support those drawn to violence.
CP3 prioritizes privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties within DHS legal authorities and policy. CP3 works to ensure that its programs include fundamental constitutional and legal protections. CP3 does not engage in widespread data collection or activities like law enforcement investigations or intelligence gathering. CP3 does not engage in censorship or encourage or facilitate any censorship. Government censorship of viewpoints not only infringes on individuals’ constitutional rights, but it is also an ineffective tactic to prevent targeted violence and terrorism.
Individuals and organizations can engage with CP3 through various channels, including participating in our training programs and webinars or applying for our Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program.
Contact Us
To learn more about our initiatives, participate in our programs, connect with us, or for general inquiries, please visit our Contact Us page.