Big police depts back anti-terror citizen watch

[thundley4]

WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's big city police chiefs are backing an anti-terrorism community watch program to educate people about what behavior is truly suspicious and ought to be reported to police.
Police Chief William Bratton of Los Angeles, whose department developed the iWATCH program, calls it the 21st century version of Neighborhood Watch.
Using brochures, public service announcements and meetings with community groups, iWATCH is designed to deliver concrete advice on how the public can follow the oft-repeated post-9/11 recommendation: "If you see something, say something." Program materials list nine types of suspicious behavior that should prompt people to call police and 12 kinds of places to look for it.
Among the indicators:
_If you smell chemicals or other fumes.
_If you see someone wearing clothes that are too big and too heavy for the season.
_If you see strangers asking about building security.
_If you see someone purchasing supplies or equipment that could be used to make bombs.
The important places to watch include: government buildings, mass gatherings, schools and public transportation.

MyWaynews

I think this is a waste of money. If people aren't aware of what things they should be aware of by now, then they never will be.

_If you smell chemicals or other fumes. I live near two grain processing plants. Strange smells are the norm.
_If you see someone wearing clothes that are too big and too heavy for the season. While not many, we do have a few homeless people.  Besides, this sounds like racial profiling
_If you see strangers asking about building security. why should anyone be asking about security? duh!
_If you see someone purchasing supplies or equipment that could be used to make bombs.Propane?

[Alpha Mare]

But American Civil Liberties Union policy counsel Mike German, a former FBI agent who worked on terrorism cases, said the indicators are all relatively common behaviors. He suspects people will fall back on personal biases and preconceived stereotypes of what a terrorist looks like when making the decision to report someone to the police.

"That just plays into the negative elements of society and doesn't really help the situation," German said.

"We're not asking people to spy on their neighbors," McNamara said.

If someone reports something based on race or ethnicity, the police will not accept the report, and someone will explain to the caller why that is not an indicator of suspicious behavior, McNamara said.

http://www.fresnobee.com/384/story/1661096.html

Los Angeles police say they have received over 1,500 reports in the past several months through a new program that investigates possible terrorist related activities or other crimes. Police say several of the reports have led to investigations but they declined to elaborate.

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2009/08/19/iwatch-suspicious-activity-report-generates-1500-tips/

1500 whiners pissed at their neighbors, no doubt.