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SALT LAKE CITY – Gov. Spencer Cox said the Utah National Guard is available to help the Utah Highway Patrol with security at the state Capitol as officials say they are getting wind of credible threats against lawmakers and state properties.
Lt. Nick Street with the Utah Highway Patrol, which is tasked with policing the Utah state Capitol, confirmed Utah's national and local representatives have received credible threats and troopers are enhancing security efforts.
"We treat every threat as credible until we can disprove it as otherwise," Street said.
The credible threats and the possibility of protests have led to state lawmakers moving the upcoming state legislative session completely online.
Cox said he fully supports the Legislature's decision and UHP's decision to add extra security to the Capitol complex ahead of the inauguration and legislative session.
Street acknowledged the threats are wide in range and troopers are vetting all of them thoroughly — including threats to state buildings outside of the Capitol campus.
He said they will not let what happened in Washington happen in Utah.
"We are gonna have all hands on deck here ready to protect our state's Capitol and our democracy, but we don't necessarily know yet what we are facing," Street said.
Officials said if anyone knows someone who is acting radically and they are concerned that person could bring harm to someone to report them. They want help in planning whatever they can before the protests.
Do you know someone acting radical and is potentially a danger to others?
— Morgan Wolfe (@MorganWolfeKSL) January 14, 2021
You can leave a tip for law enforcement here:https://t.co/D19s0flNDh
