Given recent terror attacks, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said it’s relaunching its "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign in a press release Tuesday.
While the program has been in place since 2011, FDLE is now emphasizing its importance. The initiative is part of a national campaign licensed by the Department of Homeland Security to encourage Americans to report any suspicious activity in hopes of preventing terror attacks.
The FDLE’s campaign urges Floridians who see suspicious activity to report it to law enforcement or call 1-855-FLA-SAFE.
The DHS describes suspicious activity as "behavior that could indicate terrorism or terrorism-related crime." This includes unattended packages or luggage, someone overly curious about a building’s purpose, or a person paying unusual attention to facilities or buildings, among other things.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office will promote the campaign on social media, said spokesman Art Forgey, the public information officer for the sheriff’s office.
FDLE Communications Coordinator Steve Arthur said prevented attacks generally don’t receive the same amount of attention as successful ones.
"I think it’s effective because some of the things that we warn about...are things that the Department of Homeland Security had developed through the years in a number of cases where they prevented any kind of successful (terror) operation," Arthur said.
Contact Hunter Williamson at hwilliamson@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @hunterewilliam
