UNL expert reassures Lincoln amid growing social media threats nationwide

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Earlier this week, Channel 8 reported on the growing number of violent social media threats being made against federal agents and their families.

The director of UNO’s counterterrorism team said she was alarmed by these videos and explained how they’re being assessed. 

One Lincoln expert hopes to keep those violent threats contained as well, but at more of a local level.

“I pray that we don’t have one of those incidents,” Mario Scalora said. “That’s why we do this.” 

And that’s why Scalora is preaching reassurance to the Lincoln community right now. 

The director of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Public Policy Center has also seen the increase in angry threats made toward political leaders and law enforcement.

But he said that our community is in good hands and that our “behavior assessment teams,” which analyze these threats, are ready for anything. 

“We’ve all looked at what happened in recent events like Uvalde and realized we can’t take this for granted,” Scalora said. “We have to be ready and prepared and not let it happen here.”  

That includes teams at several places around Lancaster County. Scalora admits there is a rise in violent rhetoric happening now, especially against public and government officials. 

“Probably more than a lot of people want to hear, to be honest, because a lot of these things are managed in the background,” Scalora said.  

Scalora is talking about de-escalation, a way to get people help if they are spewing threats on social media, instead of responding to it with violence. That’s because many times, those people aren’t extremists, he said.

“Just because someone utters something concerning, doesn’t mean it’s red alert time,” Scalora said. “We manage it, we assess it, and we take care of it.” 

He praised the work done by area teams, from UNL to local hospitals. He says Lincoln Public Schools especially has worked hard to manage these threats, which have only increased since the start of the pandemic.

“Nobody is getting hurt, and if there’s challenges with students, they’re finding ways to keep them in school,” Scalora said. 

And that kind of success is the theme with several other teams across our area. It’s why Scalora, who consults with several different groups, feels confident that you and your loved ones will stay safe as these threats swirl around. 

“Because we have a lot of good people, I don’t lose sleep at night,” Scalora said. “We have a lot of people bought in and a lot of people working together on this.” 

Scalora wants the public to be involved as well.

He said if you “see something, say something” because if you don’t, it could be too late.