“See Something, Say Something” Unfamiliar to Most Americans by Steve Ander and Art Swift.
From the post:
Less than half of Americans say they have heard of the “If You See Something, Say Something” slogan, part of a government campaign designed to raise public awareness of signs of terrorism and terrorism-related crime. An even smaller percentage correctly identify it as targeting terrorism and crime.
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) licensed the use of the slogan in 2010. DHS has awarded millions of dollars in federal grants through its collaborations with dozens of states, cities, sports teams, and other organizations to spread the campaign across the U.S. Yet, a Dec. 17-18 Gallup poll finds that a majority of Americans (55%) have never heard of it.
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Terrorism can occur anywhere and anytime, and any person could see the signs before disaster strikes. For example, two street vendors reported the 2010 Times Square bomb scare to the New York Police Department. To prevent future attacks, high levels of situational awareness and clear action plans could greatly benefit everyone.
It really was an attempted terrorist attack in Time Square but what the vendor saw, according to the New York Times report:
Moments later, a T-shirt vendor on the sidewalk saw smoke coming out of vents near the back seat of the S.U.V., which was now parked awkwardly at the curb with its engine running and its hazard lights on. The vendor called to a mounted police officer, the mayor said, who smelled gunpowder when he approached the S.U.V. and called for assistance. The police began evacuating Times Square, starting with businesses along Seventh Avenue, including a Foot Locker store and a McDonald’s.
I don’t think people need a slogan to make them call in a car fire.
Do you?
For all the $millions spent, we are not (yet) a nation of informants.
I first saw this in Full Text Reports.