Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced last week the launch of the beginning phase of the nationwide “See Something, Say Something” campaign, an initiative to raise public awareness of suspicious activity signs in public transportation.The newest addition to the campaign is the recently announced national information-sharing partnership between Amtrak and DHS. The department will work with Amtrak to incorporate the latest intelligence in law enforcement trainings.
“Implementing a national suspicious activity reporting partnership with Amtrak and expanding the ‘See Something, Say Something’ campaign strengthens our ability to guard against terrorism and crime,” Napolitano said.
The campaign comes as part of the Obama administration’s efforts to increase safety in the nation’s public transportation systems. It falls under the nation’s Suspicious Activity Reporting system and is funded by the $13 million grant from DHS’ Transit Security Grant Program.
“These initiatives enable us to provide frontline security personnel with the latest information and intelligence to recognize behaviors and indicators associated with new and evolving threats,” Napolitano said.
The collaboration efforts with Amtrak are the first steps taken toward promoting the initiative’s mission to raise public awareness. In the coming months, DHS will further expand the “See Something, Say Something” campaign through public education materials and advertisements to highlight the public’s role in keeping the nation safe.