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St. Louis police are hoping education can help employers and schools prevent mass shootings on their grounds. So they've arranged for an expert to conduct a pair of free seminars Friday - one for business and one for educators.

The department-sponsored sessions will be conducted by police Major Joe Spiess. Spiess began studying mass shootings in 2010 after the ABB shooting in north St. Louis that left four people dead, including the gunman.

Spiess told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his research led him to focus on what he calls the "Mr. Uncomfortable" who exist in almost every workplace or school. Spiess acknowledges that most "Mr. Uncomfortables" don't lash out, but he says, ignoring one can be deadly.

Spiess recommends using committees to handle anonymous reports about potential problems and installing panic alarms.

The seminars will be Friday, Febreuary 15 at Ameren corporate headquarters on Chouteau. The Workplace violence prevention session is from 8:00 a.m. to noon. A second seminar on school violence prevention will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013 is the registration deadline. Space is limited.

To register, send an e-mail to registration@slmpd.org, specifying which session and listing place of employment and supervisor's name and contact information.