The civil unrest that’s disrupted large cities across the U.S. over the past week hasn’t come to Cullman, and local emergency response officials say there’s no credible evidence that it’s on the way — despite a lot of recent online chatter to the contrary.

Cullman Police and other local law enforcement agencies have been monitoring social media channels to assess the credibility of posted threats and escalations of violent activity, and so far, most of what they’ve seen appears to remain in the realm of talk. But, adds Cullman Police Chief Kenny Culpepper, officers take all threats to public safety seriously, and enforcement agencies at both the local and state level have coordinated to ensure a swift response to any potential public disturbance.

“There have been rumors to that effect from the start, and we don’t believe that the ones we’re seeing at this point are true,” said Culpepper on Tuesday. “None of those have panned out, and it’s all been social media speculation. At the same time, we do prepare just in case. We want the public to be reassured that our department, Hanceville, the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency are on the same page and that, if anything happens, we’re prepared for it.”

Moving about Cullman, residents and visitors aren’t likely to see any extraordinary changes to interrupt the rhythm of daily life that’ve been evident in larger cities: no closed streets, businesses, or barricaded areas. But, said Culpepper, “we have increased our police presence — and will continue to do so.”

Rioting, looting, and targeted violence all exist in a separate area of concern for law enforcement than the free exercise of the First Amendment right to assembly and free speech, and Cullman has been the scene of small-scale demonstrations in protest of last week’s police-involved death of Minnesota resident George Floyd. Those demonstrations, which have assembled every day this week at Depot Park, have remained peaceful, said Culpepper.

“It has absolutely been peaceful; they’ve cooperated with us and have given us no problems at all,” he said. “We’ve had no issues with the folks who have been demonstrating at Depot Park. “The only real issue that we have had has been with some local people who say they’re trying to support us, and who actually are interfering with us doing our jobs, both online and out in the field.

“Our biggest problem is that, when people foment rumors of unrest on social media, we get some unsolicited attention from residents with a little bit of a vigilante mentality. And the more that false information gets repeated and the more it circulates, the more likely there is to be some sort of incident or accident, which we definitely don’t want. We want everybody to stay calm and let law enforcement just do their jobs.”

Preparing for the type of chaotic disturbance that people see on TV isn’t an indication that disturbance is imminent. But local first responders say they have long-standing lines of communication and logistical support in the event that such unrest visits the Cullman area — now or in the future.

“We work with local law enforcement to respond to a variety of scenarios,” said Cullman Emergency Management Agency director Phyllis Little. “All of our agencies work hand in hand. Most of our responsibility at EMA would be if they needed logistical help — light towers after dark, or barricades and things like that. But we’re prepared, and we’re in constant communication, whether it’s a weather event or a public disturbance.”

“Our general patrol training and tactics prepare us to handle things that can happen that are out of the ordinary,” seconded Culpepper. “Especially with the lines of communication that we have with the sheriff’s office, the Hanceville police, the state, and outside agencies that might be brought in to assist, we feel we’re equipped to handle a number of circumstances.

“We take all threats seriously, and we want to be prepared no matter what. The best thing that people can do to assist with that is to keep things calm on social media, take some of the more sensational rumors with a grain of salt, and then let law enforcement officers do their jobs.”