By now, travelers are all too familiar with the Department of Homeland Security’s most visible advertising campaign. If you see something suspicious, instruct the billboards and public service announcements, say something to authorities.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has made her “See Something, Say Something” campaign a top priority and rarely misses an opportunity to remind citizens about the importance of reporting any questionable behavior that could be linked to terrorism.
But when survey respondents were asked why they still might hesitate to report suspicious activity, 43 percent said they were worried about getting innocent people in trouble. Some of the respondents were uncomfortable judging their fellow citizens, while others worried that ringing up the police could turn out to be a waste of resources. A portion mistrusted law enforcement to begin with.
The findings lay bare a critical question at the core of Napolitano’s initiative: How can anyone be truly certain that his or her neighbor is suspicious enough to notify the government?
Read the rest of my story this week here. It’s a follow-up to our reporting last year with National Public Radio on domestic intelligence and the war on terror.
Image: Flickr/M.V. Jantzen
