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'Trust your gut' | KPD recommends reporting threats of violence posted on social media to law enforcement

As online threats of violence become more prevalent, the Knoxville Police Department said it does monitor open-source social media and internet activity.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The white gunman accused of killing 10 Black people and injuring three others at a Buffalo supermarket livestreamed the shooting on Twitch, an online gaming platform.

A Twitch spokesperson said the company removed the video in less than two minutes. It's difficult to know exactly how many people it reached within that time frame or how many times the video was saved by others.

Authorities in New York said 18-year-old Payton Gendron had published racist viewpoints and his plans for the mass shooting online.

As online threats of violence become more prevalent, the Knoxville Police Department said it does monitor open-source social media and internet activity.

Knoxville Police Public Information Officer Scott Erland said although "it's not necessarily a crime" to be a member of certain groups or express certain ideologies online, groups on the "extreme end of the spectrum" are on the radar of law enforcement. White supremacist groups, Erland said, are an example of that based on shared ideologies and a higher likelihood to commit violent acts.

Erland said online threats of violence are taken seriously by KPD.

If the department is made aware of such threats, authorities work to identify the person or people behind the screen, determine the credibility of the threat and attempt to prevent any violence before it happens.

Erland explained that authorities can't catch everything happening online.

He said there is a "collective responsibility" for social media users to let local law enforcement know about any concerning posts.

"Almost everyone has some form of social media," Erland wrote in an email to 10News. "As a citizen, if you see something on social media that raises red flags, that needs to be communicated to law enforcement so that it can be acted upon."

Erland encourages people to trust their instincts.

"Whether it is a friend on social media who is threatening self-harm or acts of violence or if someone comes across something on social media that is threatening in nature, trust your gut and report it to law enforcement," Erland wrote.

He said explicit or implicit threats directed at schools, government buildings or other public spaces should be reported immediately.

"It is safe to say that social media and the internet have added an additional layer of stress on law enforcement," Erland said.

He explained that Knoxville Police are now tasked with dealing with real-time crimes in the community while keeping an eye on online conversations.

   

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