With recent bomb threats, active shooters on and near campuses, as well as social media recruitment to join the group that calls itself the Islamic State, Governor Phil Bryant says Mississippi has to be proactive.
Referencing the incident in San Bernadino, Governor Bryant says monitoring activity on social media could also help lower the chances of possible threats.
"A young lady involved in the shooting in California had put out information on social media that she had been recruited and radicalized and that she wanted to come to the United States to effect this type of attack. If we could've detected that, 14 people may be alive today," says Bryant.
Bryant says it's important to take every lead or suspicion seriously.
"Almost on a weekly basis, we're gathering information about an incident occurring here in the state of Mississippi. Of course people are mobile, so someone who might be radicalized in Tennessee or New York can come to Mississippi, so we are going to take every precaution to make sure that doesn't happen here. But, we have to take every precaution and look into every incident that occurs no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time," Bryant says.
Bryant drew criticism in the wake of the terrorist attack in Paris for saying he would try to keep refugees from Syria out of Mississippi.
Albert Santa Cruz is Public Safety Commissioner. He says the public's help is critical, but it must not be based off race.
"He's Hispanic, black, white. It doesn't make any difference. If you're just picking on that, that's profiling. But, when you got something that's not normal activity in and out of a place, we need their help as much or more than a law enforcement agency. If we hear it, we're ready to respond to it," says Santa Cruz.
Officials say any suspicious activity or possible threats should be reported to the Department of Public Safety.
