Background

In February 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) attempted to serve a search warrant at the Mount Carmel Center, the headquarters of the Branch Davidians religious sect. Believing the group was stockpiling illegal weapons, the ATF planned a surprise raid. It failed. The shootout that followed killed four federal agents and six Branch Davidian members.

The FBI then placed the Mount Carmel Center under siege, negotiating for the surrender of the compound and the release of the children inside. After 51 days, the FBI deployed noxious gas in an attempt to drive people out. The Center caught fire, and many Branch Davidian members died.

The judicial and Congressional investigations that followed identified a clear gap in the FBI’s approach: there was no system for bringing in outside experts during major crises. Dr. Gregory Saathoff, a forensic psychiatrist and professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, was asked to fill this need. He was appointed as the FBI’s Conflict Resolution Specialist, a liaison role between the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) and outside experts in academia and the private sector.

Around the same time, a small research group at Michigan State University called the Critical Incident Analysis Group had been studying the Waco incident. When Dr. Saathoff learned of their work, the overlap in mission was clear. The group was moved to the University of Virginia, where Dr. Saathoff became its Executive Director. Drawing on experts from academia, government, and the private sector, he built it into a multidisciplinary team.

Since its first conference in 1998, CIAG has brought together professionals from academia, media, government, the military, law enforcement, and behavioral science in Charlottesville, VA each year. The goal is to build connections across agencies and disciplines. While its executive director and chair are both faculty at UVA, CIAG’s leadership draws from universities across the country and around the world — a structure that reflects Jefferson’s belief in the value of international and multidisciplinary thinking.

CIAG uses real case studies to ground its discussions, tackling issues such as crisis communication and responses to terrorist hostage situations. The group works to bridge theory and practice. This focus has made CIAG a key voice in homeland security and counterterrorism.

CIAG has also played a central role in addressing biological threats. In 2008, following the Amerithrax anthrax mail attacks, Chief Federal Judge Royce Lamberth appointed Dr. Saathoff to chair the Expert Behavioral Analysis Panel. The panel brought together faculty from UVA, Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins, the University of North Carolina, Duke University, the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, and Rochester University, along with leadership from the American Red Cross. Their findings were published as the Expert Behavioral Analysis Panel Report.