Over the past few weeks clown sightings throughout the country have caused police stations to take precaution, several commercial brands to distance themselves from clown imagery, and countless of aggressive encounters.

Sightings first became prevalent in late August, when reports of clowns emerged from Greenville, South Carolina. The Greenville police department’s website details four incidents, all occurring within a three-day timespan.

“In each of the four Greenville City incidents, there has been no indication of any attempt to contact or lure children into the woods,” reads a report on the GPD website. Since the initial reports in the Greenville area, clown sightings have grown into a trend, one that has since proven to be much more serious and dangerous than a few isolated practical jokes.

Another incident involving a clown occurred outside the suburbs of the Bay Area, in Concord, October 5. The suspect attempted to kidnap a one year-old girl, after initiating in a short discussion with the girl’s mother.

KTLA’s Mariel Turner reported on the incident, stating that when the man attempted to grab the child, the mother “…kicked him repeatedly in the shin. He fled on foot after the mother fought back.”

The epidemic has since caused a panic on social media sites. In addition to creating a stir in the public’s consciousness, clown sightings are being imitated throughout the country and around the world.

The Guardian reports of an incident involving a knife-wielding man in a clown mask, scaring a group of pre-teens in County Durham, United Kingdom. The man chased the children to their school, where they were reportedly unharmed, but under major distress.

While the threat has spread internationally, a major concern for Whittier and local areas are the impending threats to the community in the coming weeks, and specifically on Halloween.

The Pasadena Star-News reported on several clown-themed social media accounts threatening to attack Southern California communities, including Pasadena, Pico Rivera, and Whittier. Whittier’s chief of police, Jeff Piper, has since published a statement responding to community fear.

“My staff has responded on a few calls in which no subjects were identified or located. Neither the Whittier Police Department, nor any other law enforcement intelligence group, have received any information at this time that would suggest these rumors are anything other than just rumors,” Piper says in the statement released October 6. “I have also directed my staff to be extra vigilant regarding their patrols around schools and places where large crowds typically gather.”

Piper ends his statement urging citizens to report any suspicious activity in relation to these clown sightings and threats.