Biography and Principal of NextStep Awareness LLC
Matt began NextStep Awareness, LLC because he recognized the need for school districts and private institutions to acquire a proactive approach to active shooter awareness training. Including recognizing indicators of potential violence, hardening facilities coupled with additional training rather than just Active Shooter Training.
Matt’s background includes over 15 years of experience in Law Enforcement. After completing the Police Academy in 2003 he worked a wide variety of assignments throughout the Los Angeles area such as; Patrol, School Resource Officer, Field Training Officer, Narcotics K-9, Apprehension K-9 and Field Training Officer of the K-9 Unit.
In 2017, Matt was promoted to Sergeant and placed in charge of the Specialized Detail responsible for conducting Site Assessment, Active Shooter Training and assisting with the Department’s Mental Health Evaluations Teams. While assigned to the Mental Health Evaluation Team, he has engaged with a highly skilled group of professionals, clinicians and sworn personnel receiving hands-on training on calls for service of suicidal and homicidal ideations with a wide range of causations. This position allowed Matt to better recognize specific behaviors, indicators and permitted the opportunity for additional training regarding suicidal behaviors, threat assessments and threat of harm to others based upon mental stability.
During his work with the Site Assessments and Active Shooter Training this allowed him to be in several task forces within this detail. Matt was able to evaluate and learn about the latest state of the art products available for policing and community policing ranging from age appropriate active shooter training to facial recognition software for artificial intelligence.
Matt’s philosophy is to start with a consultation, personalized Site Assessment Plan, and a utilization of safety measures that are already in place with options of additional resources rather than adding to what may be a viable system.
Pairing this implementation with Active Shooter Awareness training he believes will not only train the staff in recognizing indicators of potential workplace violence, what to do in the event of an active shooter, but also, minimize the probability of the business, school or place of worship from becoming a likely target.
It was during these assignments that Matt recognized the fact that a large portion of the population he was training were only interested in participate in Active Shooter Training, and reluctant to acknowledge their vulnerabilities that existed with their building, property as well as their lack of security and the adequacy of the response plans.