HOUSTON COUNTY, Ala. (WTVY) – The Houston County Sheriff’s Office is launching a new program designed to identify online threats before they escalate into real-world violence.
The Intelligence and Counterterrorism Unit, led by Lt. Aaron Cohen, will focus on emerging threats online that turn into acts of violence. Cohen said speed is key to the program’s success.
“The internet is the largest threat in the intelligence environment in the world today,” Cohen said. “And if we’re not in that space, in that battle space, then we’re reacting.”
Cohen said the unit will look for what he calls “leakage” — signals that something is building.
“The issue isn’t whether those signals exist. It’s whether they’re identified and acted on early enough,” Cohen said.
Cohen brings a counterterrorism background to the role. The unit will use already available technology to identify threats.
“The problem with the internet today is that everybody who’s posting and ideating and spiraling is anonymous,” Cohen said. “We need to get to those posts quickly using different tools, different methods. Open source only.”
Cohen assured this is not meant to invade someone’s privacy, but simply to catch those early signs.
The unit will share intelligence with agencies across the region, not just monitor Houston County.
“We’re taking this intelligence unit and working on it if it’s here and if it’s not. We move that information quickly to the agency that needs it,” Cohen said. “Look at this as the beginning of what I call a regional-to-national early actor counterterrorism network, or what I call REACT.”
Once a threat is identified, intervention is the next step. Cohen said there is a connection between suicidal ideation and shootings.
“And we believe that the sooner we can get mental health and early knock-and-talks out to those individuals, we believe that it can prevent those actors from pivoting outwards,” said Cohen.
The unit also covers threats to schools. Cohen said the unit will not require additional staff or funding, though he did not disclose its size.
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