“If you see something, say something” is a common safety motto across the U.S. The phrase was developed on September 12, 2001 by advertising executive Allen Kay (source). A few months later, when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in NYC needed a safety slogan, he passed it on to them. Since that time, law enforcement agencies and transit authorities across the U.S. have used the phrase to encourage citizens to be alert and to report suspicious behaviors.
Does it work?
It’s a catchy slogan, but does it actually work? Can average citizens really stop acts of mass violence, including terrorism, by speaking up if they see suspicious things? It turns out that they can. Here are two examples:
- In September of 2016, observant citizens in New York and New Jersey interrupted a possible terror attack when they notified law enforcement of pipe bombs and a suspicious-looking pressure cooker (source).
- In February of 2018, a grandmother thwarted a possible school shooting when she called 911 and informed law enforcement of violent sentiments and threats that she read in her grandson’s journal (source).
These types of incidents may not occur every day, but according to the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland, there were 64 foiled terror plots against the U.S. and its major allies from 1993 to 2013. Tips from family and community members accounted for 13% of the foiled attacks (source). In other words, “if you see something, say something” really does work!
However, as we’re being observant, it’s critical that we use common sense. There are a number of times where law enforcement personnel have been called to investigate folks who weren’t engaging in suspicious activities. However, these folks were Muslim and/or of Middle Eastern descent and they were profiled by observers. This is appalling. We must always look beyond skin color and clothing as we’re being observant.
What constitutes suspicious?
What sorts of behaviors or scenes are suspicious? When should we take action and call law enforcement? Here is a useful infographic that addresses these questions.
I wish I could assure you that saying something will always stop a tragedy from happening. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. There have been recent cases in the news, such as the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, where both local and federal law enforcement agencies were notified of worrisome behaviors and statements made by the perpetrator. These law enforcement agencies messed up in a big way (you can read about what happened here and here). This is frustrating, but I want to make it clear that the failure of law enforcement in a case like this doesn’t justify our inaction. We are only responsible for our own actions. If we take action, then hopefully law enforcement will have learned from situations like that in Parkland and will respond appropriately so a tragedy is prevented.
Final thoughts
There are two key things I hope we all take away from this post. One is to contact law enforcement if we see suspicious things. The second is to get to know our neighbors and coworkers. This latter point may seem strange given the topic of this post. However, the reality is that we can’t identify what is suspicious if we don’t know what is normal.
Some of the behaviors mentioned in the infographic may not be suspicious. It really depends on the situation. For example, “Acquisition of Expertise” (gaining skills or knowledge on a specific topic, such as facility security, military tactics, or flying an aircraft) could be suspicious, but it could also be a hobby for some folks. However, if you don’t know your neighbor or coworker very well, then you won’t be able to tell if this is a long-term interest of his or hers or if it is a new and potentially suspicious behavior.
Let’s help protect our communities by being observant and by getting to know our neighbors and coworkers!
What things do you do to try to keep your community safe? Is being observant and reporting suspicious behaviors one of these things?
