Dr. Peter Langman is an internationally recognized expert in the field of school safety, particularly known for his deep research on school shooters and the psychology behind their violent behaviors. With extensive experience as a psychologist and researcher, Dr. Langman’s work focuses on identifying warning signs and preventing targeted violence in schools. His research into the profiles of school shooters has made him a trusted authority in the field, helping schools and organizations better understand the complex biological, psychological, social and cultural factors that contribute to violence. As a speaker, Dr. Langman offers practical, evidence-based insights on threat assessment, early intervention strategies, and creating safer school environments. His expertise makes him an invaluable resource for schools and organizations looking to enhance their preventative measures and improve overall safety protocols.
WHY
Book
Dr. Peter
FOR YOUR EVENT?
“Dr. Peter Langman has studied and described the psychology of school shooters as deeply as anyone in our country… For any organization that wants its employees and community to more fully understand the psychological conditions of potential school shooters, Dr. Langman’s presentation and perspective will facilitate a more grounded and thorough understanding of this unfortunate phenomenon.”
—Dr. Joseph B. Moore, President, Lesley University
WHO
Books
Dr. Peter
?
Dr. Peter Langman is a leading voice in school safety, known for his compelling presentations and unmatched expertise in the psychology of school shooters. A highly sought-after speaker, he translates decades of research into clear, actionable strategies for threat assessment and violence prevention. With a calm, authoritative presence, Dr. Langman helps educators, mental health professionals, and safety teams recognize warning signs and strengthen their prevention protocols. His evidence-based approach and deep subject matter knowledge make him a trusted partner for schools and organizations committed to proactive, informed safety practices.
Recent audiences and conferences include:
FBI Headquarters (Washington, DC)
FBI National Academy (Quantico)
National Counterterrorism Center
Department of Homeland Security
National Behavioral Intervention Team Association
Michigan State Police
Lehigh Carbon School Counselors Association
Green River Regional Educational Cooperative
Easton Area School District
Add your school or organization to the list of those inspired by Peter Langman – book him today!
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Get Inspired
TO BRING
Dr. Peter
TO YOUR NEXT EVENT!
Peter’s books, Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters, Warning Signs: Identifying School Shooters Before They Strike, and School Shooters: Understanding High School, College, and Adult Perpetrators are available on Amazon.
SPEAKER
Topics Include
Mental & Behavioral Health
Leadership, Law & Policy
Identifying & Supporting At-Risk Students
Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management
Averted School Violence Case Studies
School Shooters: Profiles & Prevention
Signature
PRESENTATIONS
Click on the titles to learn more about each signature presentation and fill out the form below to book for your next event.
Preventing School Shootings
Available as either half-day or full-day training
The presentation will first identify and refute common misconceptions about school shooters, with an emphasis on moving beyond the stereotypes and highlighting the diversity of perpetrators. It also explains the variations among school shootings, including random, targeted, and mixed attacks. We will then explore three psychological types of shooters—psychopathic, psychotic, and traumatized—using case examples to illustrate the types, and highlighting patterns of failures and rejections that contribute to the shooters’ rage and motivations for violence.
The second half of the presentation distinguishes threat assessment as a proactive preventive strategy from emergency response procedures, which are reactive. This section highlights the wide range of warning signs of potential violence, including threats, attack-related behavior, and leakage. It also discusses the barriers that both students and adults may experience that keep them from reporting the warning signs they encounter.
Lessons Learned from a Threat Assessment that Failed
90-minute Workshop
The presentation will first identify and refute common misconceptions about school shooters.
In 2013, Karl Pierson threatened to kill the school's librarian. The administration conducted a threat assessment and concluded that Pierson presented a "low level" threat. Three months later, he committed his attack. What went wrong? Where did the threat assessment fall short? What more could have been done? This workshop looks at the records that have been released to highlight key aspects of the threat assessment process, impediments to the flow of information, and the facts that could have been discovered with a more thorough, ongoing investigation.
Pathways to Violence: Three Types of School Shooters
90-minute Workshop
This presentation dispels common misconceptions about school shooters always being bullied loners by demonstrating the diversity of perpetrators. It then presents a psychological typology of school shooters, dividing them into three categories: psychopathic, psychotic, and traumatized. A case example of each of the three types is presented to demonstrate the range of perpetrators and the contributing factors in their violence.
Warning Signs in Student Assignments
90-minute Workshop
The presentation will first identify and refute common misconceptions about school shooters.
A potential source of information that is often overlooked is the presence of warning signs in student assignments. This presentation examines actual homework assignments of school shooters to highlight how subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) warning signs appear in student work. Utilizing these warning signs as a starting point for a threat assessment investigation, it then demonstrates the amount of information that could have been gathered if an inquiry had been conducted.
The Motivations and Justifications of Mass Attackers
90-minute Workshop
The presentation will first identify and refute common misconceptions about school shooters.
This presentation draws on the writings of perpetrators to gain insight into the dynamics driving them toward violence. Though school shooters often claim that they are retaliating for some injustice they have endured, the sources of their violence are typically found in their flawed sense of self, disturbing personality traits, and the drive to transform themselves from unknown, powerless "nobodies" into figures of power and significance.
Testimonials
“Dr. Langman’s information was clear and concise, shedding much needed light toward understanding the motivation of today’s youth who contemplate rampage school violence … Few who study school shootings have delved as deep as Langman into the often murky and troubled minds of these predators.”
—Samantha Dutill, Associate Executive Director, National Behavioral Intervention Team Association
Speaker
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Peter Langman is a psychologist whose research on school shooters has received international recognition. His book, Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters, was named an Outstanding Academic Title and was translated into German, Dutch, Finnish, and Russian. His work has been cited in congressional testimony on Capitol Hill and he has been interviewed by the New York Times, The Today Show, 20/20, Nightline, Fox, CNN, the BBC, and over 500 other news outlets in the USA, Canada, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.
After the Sandy Hook attack, the CEO of the
merican Psychological Association presented Dr. Langman’s recommendations on school safety to President Obama. He has presented at both the FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC, and the FBI National Academy in Quantico. He has been an invited speaker at the National Counterterrorism Center and was hired by Homeland Security to train professionals in school safety.
He maintains the largest online collection of materials relating to school shooters at schoolshooters.info, including over 500 documents totaling 65,000 pages. His book, School Shooters: Understanding High School, College, and Adult Perpetrators was published in 2015. In 2018, Dr. Langman became a researcher with the National Threat Assessment Center of the United States Secret Service. In 2020, he became the Director of Research and School Safety Training with Drift Net Securities. His new book is Warning Signs: Identifying School Shooters Before They Strike.