Recognizing and reporting terrorist activity
Abstract
Citizen awareness can help reduce threats to national security. This effective practice outlines types of suspicious activity to look for and how to report it, and is excerpted from materials developed by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC).Issue
Maintaining and increasing awareness of potential terrorist threats to national security.Action
According to the National Crime Prevention Council, it is important for citizens to take concrete steps in their communities and in the workplace to help detect and deter suspected international terrorists. Signs of terrorist activity may include:- Someone bragging or talking about plans to harm citizens in violent attacks or who claims membership in a terrorist organization that espouses killing innocent people.
- Suspicious packages, luggage, or mail that have been abandoned in a crowded place such as an office building, airport, school, or shopping center.
- Suspicious letter or package that arrives in the mail.
- Someone suspiciously exiting a secured, non-public area near a train or a bus depot, airport, tunnel, bridge, government building, or tourist attraction.
- Any type of activity or circumstance that seems frightening or unusual within the normal routines of your neighborhood, community, and workplace.
- Someone unfamiliar loitering in a parking lot, government building, or around a school or playground.
- Someone using or threatening to use a gun or other weapon, place a bomb, or release a poisonous substance in to the air, water, or food supply.
- Strange odors, smoke, fire, or an explosion.
- Abandoned vehicles.
Reporting Terrorist Activity
If you believe you have information that would help authorities, do not take any action other than to inform your local police department or FBI as soon as possible. To report any suspicious activity:
- Call 911 for life-threatening emergencies only.
- Call your police non-emergency number to report any behavior or event that seems to be outside the norm or is frightening but does not immediately endanger lives or property.
- Call your local FBI field office. To find your local office, go to http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm or check inside the front cover of your local phone book. You can also contact the FBI at 1-866-483-5137 or submit a tip on their Web site, http://www.fbi.gov.
- Your name and address;
- A brief description of the event — what happened, when, where, and who was involved;
- Description of the suspect: sex, race, age, height, weight, hair color, clothing, distinctive characteristics such as beard, mustache, scars, or accent;
- Description of the vehicle if one was involved: color, make, model, year, license plate, and special features such as stickers, dents, or decals;
- Where you think the suspicious person(s) may have gone.
Context
According to the Department of Homeland Security, specific terrorist threats may include:
A biological attack is the deliberate release of germs or other substances that can make you sick. Many agents must be inhaled, enter through a cut in the skin, or eaten to make you sick.
A chemical attack is the deliberate release of a toxic gas, liquid, or solid that can poison people and the environment.
A nuclear blast is an explosion with intense light and heat, a damaging pressure wave and widespread radioactive material that can contaminate the air, water, and ground surfaces for miles around.
A radiation threat or "Dirty Bomb" is the use of common explosives to spread radioactive materials over a targeted area.For more information from Ready.Gov (The U.S. Department of Homeland Security) see their Website at http://www.ready.gov/.
Outcome
- According to the Department of Homeland Security, increased vigilance may be key to deterring or disrupting terrorist attacks.
- With minimal preparation, citizens can be ready for the unexpected.
Posted On
January 9, 2004For More Information
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US Department of Homeland Security