The number of calls to an Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) tip line designed to prevent and investigate mass shootings and other attacks rose by 70 percent in the week after the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, FBI officials said.
The FBI received more than 38,000 phone and online tips the week after the shootings, up from the 22,000 tips it typically receives on a weekly basis, according to a news report. In a statement, FBI officials said, “Such increases are often observed after major incidents. As always, the FBI encourages the public to remain vigilant and report any and all suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately.”
FBI officials said the number of tips received each week vary and not all lead to an investigation and some of the tips are forwarded to local authorities, says the news report. The 38,000 FBI tips does not include the thousands of tips that state and local law enforcement agencies have received since the shootings, notes the report.