ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg Police are sending a strong warning about faux threats.
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- St. Pete Police say faux threat is a second-degree felony
- Threats taken seriously, exhaust staff and resources
"It's not a prank. We will find you and you will face consequences," Asst. Chief of Investigations Antonio Gilliam said.
Gilliam's comments came a day after law enforcement agencies and first responders across the nation scrambled to hundreds of bomb threats emailed to businesses and buildings.
Gilliam said the department received four bomb threats similar to the ones reported across the country.
"Everyone is vigilant, they're always vigilant, but they're more vigilant than ever," Gilliam said.
While the threats turned out to be a hoax, each one is taken seriously and they all exhaust staff and resources.
"You want to check every nook and cranny and make sure nothing is present that's out of place, and that really takes cooperation from business owners and employees that help us," Gilliam said.
"The key is to always stay on guard and not lose focus or whisk it away as a false threat especially in this day and age you never know what might happen," Gilliam said.
Gilliam said the department has a dedicated group working on these types of investigations and they also partner with other local, state, and federal agencies to share information.
"It's not a prank for us. It carries a heavy penalty if we ever catch who is behind it," Gilliam said.
Gilliam said the penalty for a faux threat is a second-degree felony with potentially serious fines and prison time.