Should residents be concerned about terrorism threats in SWFL?

We spoke with WINK News Safety and Security Specialist, Rich Kolko about the amount of worry a citizen in Southwest Florida should have when it comes to terrorism threats.

Kolko says he would advise being “alert” or being “aware” of your surroundings would be better words used to describe how one should feel about a possible threat.

Right here in SWFL the local FBI is on the job with a joint terrorism task force working diligently to keep everyone in the area safe any and all threats.

“We’re always on the look out for domestic terrorism threats international terrorism threats any of those threats. and certainly as we see them and find indications of anyone may be progressing in that direction, we take action to investigate it jointly with our partners,” said Eric Sporre, who is the FBI Special Agent in charge of the Tampa Field office.

A commonly asked question, is what resources are dedicated to battling terrorism?

“FBI, DHS, DOD, CIA, The State Department and many others and most critical, the state and local police out on the streets everyday gathering intelligence,” said Kolko.

There are more than 5000 terrorism cases in all 50 states, and more than 100 joint terrorism task forces out working to protect citizens.

A piece of advice to all citizens is to be on the look out, and if you see something suspicious, say something.