Valley police on high alert following Halloween threats from anarchist group

According to reports, a shadowy anarchist group calling itself the National Liberation Militia has instructed people to use the cover of costumes and darkness to randomly attack police officers.

Random attacks on police are, unfortunately, a growing trend. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reported a 300 percent rise in fatal ambush-style attacks on officers between 2013 and 2014.

“Absolutely it's a sad commentary. It doesn't make us feel any better to know there are groups out there trying to hurt us, and some of the sentiment is negative towards us,” said Sgt. Ben Hoster with the Scottsdale Police Department.

Hoster said his department received the FBI warning earlier this month and told its officers to be on high alert this Halloween. For strategic reasons, Hoster couldn’t share specifics on how the Scottsdale Police Department prepares for threats of this nature.

Scottsdale police said there’s no specific threat to any one police department. Hoster said the public can help police all over the Valley by keeping their eyes peeled and reporting any suspicious behavior.

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