By Channel 2 Action News
COBB COUNTY — Local law enforcement is on guard for potential copycat attacks following the ambush and murder of two New York City police officers.
Channel 2’s Ross Cavitt has also learned of an FBI warning circulating among police agencies.
“If they’re hearing any credible evidence, any credible threats, they have to let the beat officers know,” security expert Brent Brown told Cavitt.
Brown is a former police officer who now runs a security business. He says the FBI and other agencies tracking threats against police officers have no choice but to issue warnings for those on the streets.
Brown had a similar experience in DeKalb County after a police-involved shooting several decades ago.
“It affected me a great deal. The response we got was, ‘Well be careful,’ but I can tell you every call we went on we were looking around we didn’t know when it would happen.”
Cavitt has learned the latest warning came from the FBI office in Houston, where they tracked a gang-affiliated Facebook posting a so-called cop challenge with the state goal of killing a cop before New Year’s Day. There’s no way to gauge its validity.
Police sources told Cavitt it’s not the first FBI warning they’ve received in the past few weeks.
Brown said that anyone interacting with officers needs to understand and be patient.
“Anybody who puts on a uniform and goes out on patrol is vulnerable and I think we’re going to see it get worse unfortunately,” Brown said.
Local prosecutors said anyone caught making such threats could face a felony charge.
