Preventing Violence Before It Happens: The Critical Aggression Prevention System

In our latest Security DNA Podcast, SecurityInfoWatch Editorial Director Steve Lasky interviewed Dr. John D. Byrnes, founder and CEO of the Center for Aggression Management, about a fundamentally different approach to workplace and community safety. Rather than reacting to violent incidents after they occur, Byrnes' Critical Aggression Prevention System (CAPS) identifies behavioral precursors that enable organizations to intervene before situations escalate.

Byrnes opened by challenging a core security assumption. "I ask them, conflict resolution, isn't that a method of preventing escalation and violence? And they all nod affirmatively," he explained. "Then I say, but doesn't conflict resolution presuppose conflict. And you think about it, yes, it does. It presupposes conflict, so you're already at risk."

Traditional approaches—from conflict resolution to active shooter training—are inherently reactive. "Doesn't active shooter response training presuppose an active shooter already murdering your employees?" Byrnes asked. "So we're reacting to everything that is out there."

The Science Behind CAPS

The Critical Aggression Prevention System emerged from research combining Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman's work and European academic studies. The system measures two distinct types of aggression: primal and cognitive.

Primal aggression represents someone losing control, "fueled by adrenaline. The higher on the scale, the more loss of control." During his military work, Byrnes' team used infrared technology to remotely measure pulse rates tied to aggressive behavior. "This is hard science," he emphasized.

Cognitive aggression, by contrast, is "conscious deliberate aggression," built on what Byrnes terms "malicious intent." "This is fueled by intent, the intent to do harm to another person," he said. This form of aggression can range from an "inconsiderate person who doesn't see themselves as an aggressor, but they're creating victims" to calculated acts of violence.

By combining these continua, CAPS provides "objective, measurable, observables of human-based aggression"—not subjective assessments like "scary, strange, weird and menacing." The system was scientifically validated at Eastern Kentucky University as reliable.

Early Intervention and Prevention

The power of CAPS lies in its ability to identify precursors to aggressive behavior—the stages that occur before conflict, harassment, bullying, or violence manifest. "Conflict, sexual harassment, abuse, bullying, discrimination, and even excessive force...all begin at the fourth stage of cognitive intent-driven aggression," Byrnes noted.

The system identifies nine progressive stages of aggression, color-coded as low-risk (green), moderate-risk (yellow), and high-risk (red). When someone progresses from stage three to four—crossing from low to moderate risk—observers can see the escalation clearly. "If you identify someone in stages one, two, and three, when it is the easiest to engage and redirect them, and you don't, this person could become a seven, eight, or nine, and you could become a victim," Byrnes explained.

The intervention strategy focuses on redirection rather than punishment. "We're going to convince Johnny that he's on a path that is going to have consequences he's not going to like," Byrnes said, referring to a hypothetical aggressor. "But then we redirect...we're going to convince Johnny that there's another path for him, a separate path, an assertive path that addresses his issues but doesn't have those consequences."

This approach distinguishes assertive behavior from aggressive behavior. "Assertive behavior says I'm going to win because I'm going to be the best version of myself," Byrnes explained. "Aggressive behavior says I'm going to win because I'm going to take you out."

Implementation and ROI

CAPS operates through a two-tiered training system. Aggression First Observers—frontline personnel like receptionists, security staff, and HR professionals—receive half-day online training to identify and report observable behaviors through a mobile app. Certified Aggression Managers undergo more intensive one-day training to engage directly with individuals showing aggressive behaviors and redirect them toward assertive paths.

For security directors perpetually challenged to justify budget allocations, CAPS offers something unprecedented: evidence-based results demonstrating actual prevention. "The most daunting day of the year for me is when I have to go before a CEO or worse yet a CFO...and convince that person that the money being spent on me and my team is worthwhile because I'm forced to prove a negative," Byrnes said, echoing feedback from security professionals.

When organizations prevent incidents through early intervention, they avoid cascading costs. If an aggressor must be terminated, employers face legal expenses, potential security costs, replacement hiring, and training—expenses that "can add up to as much as five times person's salary," according to Byrnes. "We save all of that by getting out in front of conflict, bullying, abuse, discrimination and violence."

Beyond Enterprise Applications

While CAPS is deployed across large organizations—including a 23-hospital system currently being implemented—the system scales down to small workplaces with as few as five employees, and even to individual users. The training's instructional design accommodates various organizational sizes and structures, making prevention accessible across the security ecosystem.

As Lasky concluded, "Safety is just not what we install, it's about what we recognize." For security manufacturers, integrators, and end-users alike, CAPS represents a shift from hardware-centric thinking to behavioral awareness—not replacing existing security measures but augmenting them with human-centered prevention capabilities.

*This article was created with the help of generative AI tools and edited by our content team for clarity and accuracy.