Erie County Partners for Free Psychological Evaluations to Mitigate Violence Risk
Erie County is partnering with University Psychiatric Practice, Inc. to offer free, voluntary psychological evaluations for individuals assessed by its Behavioral Threat Assessment Team, aiming to mitigate future risks of violence.
Buffalo, NY, September 23, 2026 —
Erie County has announced a new initiative aimed at proactively addressing potential risks of violence through psychological evaluations. The county is partnering with University Psychiatric Practice, Inc. to provide these services free of charge and on a voluntary basis to individuals identified by Erie County’s Behavioral Threat Assessment Team.
The program’s primary objective is to assess and mitigate future risks of violence by offering individuals identified by the threat assessment team an opportunity to undergo psychological evaluations. The specifics regarding when this partnership officially began or a projected timeline for its duration were not immediately available.
The Behavioral Threat Assessment Team’s role involves identifying individuals who may pose a potential threat. For those individuals who consent to participate, the partnership with University Psychiatric Practice, Inc. will facilitate access to professional psychological assessments. These evaluations are intended to help understand underlying issues and develop strategies to prevent potential violent incidents.
The summary of this trend indicates that the evaluations are strictly voluntary, meaning individuals are not compelled to participate. The service is being offered at no cost to the individuals receiving the evaluations. Information regarding the exact number of individuals assessed by the Behavioral Threat Assessment Team or how many are expected to participate in the voluntary evaluations was not provided.
University Psychiatric Practice, Inc. is collaborating with Erie County to deliver these critical services. Further details on the operational framework of this partnership, including the specific methodologies used by the Behavioral Threat Assessment Team or the types of assessments conducted by University Psychiatric Practice, Inc., were not specified in the provided information. The initiative seeks to enhance community safety by providing early intervention and support through psychological assessment.
Story summarized from the original created by WKBW News Staff on www.wkbw.com, see more information here.
