Surge of threats against political protectees at historic level, Secret Service says

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The head of the U.S. Secret Service says the agency has investigated 10,000 threats so far this year. Responses to real-time threats against federal protectees, including President Donald Trump, have intensified to the highest levels seen in history.

Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office Derek Mayer told the ABC7 I-Team agents in Chicago and the U.S. are tracking people down in person to investigate.

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Secret Service Director Sean Curran told ABC News this is the most challenging threat environment he's ever seen, with threats against protectees only increasing in volume and complexity. There are looming threats of lone wolf attacks and an exponential increase in threats online. According to the Secret Service, there are 40% more threat investigations now than this time last year.

Mayer says social media threats are a double-edged sword. He says threats from apparently anonymous accounts can still be tracked.

"Social media, sometimes that could be our biggest tool...so we can go investigate them. It's the people that are quiet. That makes the job really hard," Mayer told the I-Team.

He says if you make a threat against the president, you'll likely have a Secret Service agent show up at your door.