By Quincy Midthun & Katya Spear, Mayors Innovation Project
Violence and harassment against local public officials in the United States is on the rise. In 2024, the Bridging Divides Initiative saw a 14% increase in threats and harassment against local elected officials from 2023 and a 74% increase from 2022. Our own data, shared and discussed in our 2025 Under Pressure report, found that women mayors and mayors of color reported the most frequent and pervasive harassment. Rising hostility and violence is especially startling because mayors are their municipality’s most visible and accessible elected officials, yet they often lack the budgets, training, or public support to address the rise in violence.
At the Winter 2026 Meeting, Katya Spear (Managing Director, Mayors Innovation Project), Shannon Hiller (Executive Director, Bridging Divides Initiative), and Isabella Ulloa (Founder & CEO, Public Service Alliance) led a discussion on what the current data trends are, how to anticipate spikes in threats, when to take a threat seriously, and preventative steps you can take to address threats and harassment, especially on social media. Below are four key takeaways from the session, including best practices for mayors to protect themselves, their homes, and city hall.
Work with your local law enforcement to build the record.
Mayors don’t need to be convinced that they’re facing unprecedented levels of threats and abuse, but creating a record of threats helps to not only track them but to demonstrate to your council and the public why increased investments in security are needed. Talk to your police about what kinds of threats rise to the level of being documented and have a clear process for reporting them. Work with your Police Chief (if possible) to brief staff on what events should be documented and how to sound the alarm when threats spike. It is worth noting that data shows that many local elected officials, especially women and leaders of color, tend to underreport the abuse they face, so when in doubt, take the threat seriously and report it to law enforcement.
Whenever possible, have a trusted staff member monitor your social media.
Constituents now expect near constant access to their elected officials. While government transparency is undoubtedly important, the internet and social media in particular has made threatening, harassing, and doxing local elected officials easier than ever before. Whenever possible, it’s important to delegate social media monitoring to a trusted staff member to protect your mental health. As stated above, your staff should be trained on what to look for and what to report to law enforcement.
Unfortunately, for many elected officials, increased threats happen because of circumstances outside of their control. For example, Hiller shared that threats toward elected officials rose after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and around the 2024 presidential election.
Take preventative action by using free or discounted tools and advisory services from the Public Service Alliance Marketplace to protect yourself online and at home.
The Public Service Alliance (PSA) is a nonpartisan prevention, crisis response, and resilience network for current and former public servants. It’s tough to know what security software and services are worth paying for, and even if you do know, many mayors don’t have the budgets to pay for them, either personally or professionally. PSA’s marketplace offers vetted security services, technology, and tools ranging from home alarm systems to data scrubbing tools to remove your personal information from the internet for free or at a deeply discounted rate. Even if you are not imminently concerned about your safety, there are free preventative steps you can take to make it harder for people to find your personal information.
Additionally, Bridging Divides offers a map of de-escalation trainers in your state and region that you can work with to mitigate violence and security risks. These trainings and strategies can be especially useful for tense public meetings or during times of heightened tension.
Know that you’re not alone.
Being a mayor can feel extremely isolating, but organizations like the Mayors Innovation Project, Bridging Divides Initiative, and Public Service Alliance are here to support you and connect you to the peers and resources you need to feel protected and supported.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or feedback about this session, and please feel free to view, share, and use the data from Bridging Divides and the Mayors Innovation Project to raise awareness about threats and harassment and to advocate for investments in security upgrades.