Eagle
Eyes
In
a world where Islamic extremists are involved in elaborate
plans
to force earth’s civilization into their vision of Islamic domination
through terror attacks, people are being taught to pay attention
to their surroundings, to be observant, and if suspicious activities
are seen, report it to law enforcement officials. As we have
seen
since 9-11, what one man or woman reports can save many lives.
People have found that things out of place can be reason for
concern.
Many citizens have also discovered thus far important oddities;
such as a person behaving strangely in a certain setting or
circumstance,
a vehicle out of place, or a man nonchalantly trying to light
his shoe on fire while on an aircraft. Observance and reporting
suspicious activities is encouraged, as seen with the US military
in Eagle Eyes.
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By
Doug Sample
AFPS
WASHINGTON,
Jan. 24, 2003 — Several plastic containers and what appeared
to be a timing device were found near a military checkpoint at
the Pentagon yesterday, arousing the suspicion of a passer-by.
Soon
afterward, members of the Arlington Fire Department and the Pentagon
Force Protection Agency were on the scene. The Air Force Office
of Special Investigations was contacted.
Alert
notices sent out over e-mail and the Pentagon’s emergency communications
system informed those in the immediate area of what action to
take.
The
containers turned out to be nothing more than cleaning tools left
behind by a vendor who’d been in the Pentagon to disinfect bathrooms.
Although
the scare caused quite a bit of confusion, the passer-by did the
right thing, said Tom Smith, a retired NYPD detective who now
commands Detachment 344 of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
In
light of what happened Sept. 11, 2001, "we don’t dismiss
anything — we can’t afford to," Smith said. Part of the
mission of his six-man detachment is to help protect the 20,000
military and civilian personnel who work at the Pentagon.
Smith
seems to take such incidents personally, no matter how frivolous.
Which is why today in the Pentagon auditorium, he and his team
met with workers to clue them in on "Eagle Eyes," a
program created by the Air Force that has become the Defense Department’s
"Neighborhood Watch" program.
Eagle
Eyes teaches military personnel and civilian employees to be on
the watch for, and to report, suspicious activities of people
they suspect may be:
o
Surveying the workplace or monitoring activities using cameras
and video.
o
Trying to gain information about military operations, capabilities
or people.
o
Testing security measures, attempting to measure reaction times
or to penetrate security barriers.
o
Purchasing or stealing explosives, weapons, ammunition, uniforms,
decals, passes or badges.
o
Taking notice of people who don’t seem to fit in the workplace,
neighborhood or business establishment.
Finally,
Smith said, pay special attention to any threat received by any
means that contains a specific time, location or place.
He
told the audience not to be inhibited about reporting what might
turn out to be innocent behavior. "You don’t know it’s innocent
until you report it," he said. "We’re much less concerned
about too much reporting than too little. When lives are at stake,
it’s better to be safe than sorry."
He
said he’s not sure what effect Eagle Eyes has had on Pentagon
security, but he believes that having everyone be more aware of
what’s going on around them is an effective counterterrorism measure.
"From
active-duty military to family members to government contractors,
anyone could see something out of the ordinary. Report it, and
make a difference between a terrorist act occurring or not occurring,"
Smith said.
That,
he said, would be a constant reminder to would-be terrorists —
among the more than 20,000 people working in the Pentagon, someone
is likely to be watching.
To
Report Suspicious or Unusual Activity You May Contact the FBI
Through Their Web Tip Center HERE
In
the United Kingdom:
If you have tip-offs about possible terrorist activity, call the
police anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789 321. Visit the Home Office
for More Information HERE
If
you have information about possible bomb threats or other immediate
threats, call 999.