Local agents on high alert ahead of inauguration

Local agents are monitoring social media for threats as city and state officials are on high alert ahead of the presidential inauguration.

LOCAL AGENTS ARE ALSO ON HIGHALERT THIS WEEKEND...AHEAD OFWEDNESDAY'S INAUGURATION.

THEF-B-I SAYS ARMED PROTESTS ANDRALLIES ARE BEING PLANNED ATALL 5O STATE CAPITOLS AS WELLAS WASHINGTOND.C.NEW THIS MORNING...WCPO 9NEWS ANCHOR TIMYA ARTIST JOINSUS FROM HAMILTON COUNTYEMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WITH THEIMPORTANT ROLE áIT WILL PLAYIN THE DAYS AHEAD.many of us think of emergencymanagement as the agency thathelps coordinate responseefforts during naturaldisasters.

But they haveanother important job..gathering intelligence to helpprotect us from threats bothforeign and domestic.WHILETHERE IS NO KNOWN THREAT ORVIOLENCE IN HAMILTON COUNTY ORCINCINNATI..

LIKE THEINSURRECTION AND CIVILDISTURBANCE THAT WE WITNESSEDAT THE NATION'S CAPITOL,HAMILTON COUNTY IS CONSTANTLYMONITORING OPEN SOURCE MEDIASITES..

LIKE FACEBOOK ANDTWITTER.

AROUND THE CLOCKTHEY ARE LOOKING FOR CERTAINTAG LINES AND ANY POSSBILEILLEGAL BEHAVIOR ONLINE.THATINFORMATION IS THEN PASSED ONTO POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT.DIRECTOR OF HAMILTON COUNTYEMERGENCY MANAGEMENT NICKCROSSLEY TELLS ME IT'S A JOBHIS AGENCY TAKES VERYSERIOUSLY..

AND THE WAY THATCINCINNATI REPSONDED DURINGTHE PROTESTS OVER THE DEATH OFGEORGE FLOYD THIS PAST SUMMERIS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF HOW OFTHESE AGENCIES WORK TOGETHERTO BALANCE FREEDOM OF SPEECHAND ABIDING BY THELAW"we saw some of it get out ofhand but for the most partCincinnati was very wellorganized and I don'tanticipate something like thathere and of course Cincinnatiworkswell with all of theirpartners so I think movingforward they are a model forhow to handle these kinds ofevents nationwide that doesn'tmean things wont' gosideways.And that is why there are 88county emergency agenciesacross ohio.They will byhypervigilant, keeping a closeeye on those planned protestat the statehouse inColumbus..

In the days leadingup to and after theinauguration