I recently attended a meeting hosted by law enforcement in the Puget Sound area. An officer from the Seattle Police Department delivered an informative and invaluable presentation on the Washington State Fusion Center.
What is the Washington State Fusion Center? In their words “The WSFC supports activities to detect, deter and prevent terrorism” WSFC has partnered with the Northwest Warning, Alert & Response Network (NWWARN) to achieve this goal.
What does this mean to the average citizen like you and me? WSFC is reminding us that “If you see something (suspicious), say something” and have now given the public a centralized portal via which to report.
That’s a broad statement. Give me an example? A person taking family photos on a ferry with the picturesque Puget Sound in the background would hardly make it onto anyone’s radar. The same person taking photos of the interior stairwells of the boat or other structural features should raise a red flag to anyone paying attention.
Someone enjoying a beverage and reading the paper at coffee shop is one thing but the same person occasionally attempting to use the smart phone in a surreptitious manner to photograph the building across the street is another.
Fred Burton a counter terrorism expert with Stratfor reminds us that the best opportunity for law enforcement to intercept a problem is during the surveillance or pre-operational phase which is where incongruent body language and/ or activity readily stands out.
What are some other reporting categories? Click here for a link to see a list of other activities to be aware of.
Where do I go online to submit information? Here is a deep link to their site that takes you to a form via which to submit information.
Something to keep in mind Homeland Security and Law Enforcement always remind us, there are no suspicious people, only suspicious activities.