FBI Readies For Potential Protest At State Capitol
/ CBS Sacramento
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - As the CHP has announced a "tactical alert" going into this weekend, the FBI is also on high alert. CBS13's Marissa Perlman sat down with an FBI spokesperson to learn what agents are doing to keep the city safe.
There is a lot that Special Agent in Charge, Sean Ragan couldn't answer in a 20-minute conversation on potential violence at the Capitol.
His team is now preparing to keep the peace.
What he did say, is there have not been any specific, credible threats towards the state, the region, or the city of Sacramento.
"We don't have any credible threats or specific threats against the state capitol," he said.
Photos: State capitol prepares for protests
Zip ties attached to a crowd barrier outside the California State Capitol building in Sacramento, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The FBI warns that pro-Trump protests are planned at U.S. statehouses before the presidential inauguration. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesMembers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) wearing protective masks walk outside the California State Capitol building in Sacramento, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The FBI warns that pro-Trump protests are planned at U.S. statehouses before the presidential inauguration. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesMembers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) wearing protective masks stand outside the California State Capitol building in Sacramento, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The FBI warns that pro-Trump protests are planned at U.S. statehouses before the presidential inauguration. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesMembers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) wearing protective masks stand outside the California State Capitol building in Sacramento, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The FBI warns that pro-Trump protests are planned at U.S. statehouses before the presidential inauguration. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesMembers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) wearing protective masks stand outside the California State Capitol building in Sacramento, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The FBI warns that pro-Trump protests are planned at U.S. statehouses before the presidential inauguration. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesA "Warning" sign attached to a crowd barrier outside the California State Capitol building in Sacramento, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The FBI warns that pro-Trump protests are planned at U.S. statehouses before the presidential inauguration. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesA "Warning" sign attached to a crowd barrier outside the California State Capitol building in Sacramento, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The FBI warns that pro-Trump protests are planned at U.S. statehouses before the presidential inauguration. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesMembers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) wearing protective masks stand outside the California State Capitol building in Sacramento, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The FBI warns that pro-Trump protests are planned at U.S. statehouses before the presidential inauguration. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesMembers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) wearing protective masks stand outside the California State Capitol building in Sacramento, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The FBI warns that pro-Trump protests are planned at U.S. statehouses before the presidential inauguration. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesMembers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) wearing protective masks stand outside the California State Capitol building in Sacramento, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The FBI warns that pro-Trump protests are planned at U.S. statehouses before the presidential inauguration. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
His own agency did receive warnings that groups may plan a copycat attack on all 50 state capitols.
CBS13 asked how the FBI tracks extremist groups that are calling for storming state buildings on Inauguration Day.
"We don't focus on a particular ideology or particular group; we focus on the criminal activity that someone is planning or about to conduct," he said.
Ragan said the agency relies on tips from the public, who are in social media groups, to spot language that can lead to violence.
"We need the public to provide us information; we have to have a predication that an individual -- or a group of individuals -- is conspiring to break the law," he said.
For now, the agency has all eyes on Sacramento's capitol and protecting the people who live in this city.
"We're working 24/7 to ensure the community is safe to prevent any violence before it does," he said.
