How Citizen Handles Suspicious Packages
When does ‘suspicious package’ escalate to ‘evacuate the area’?
Suspicious packages are reported dozens of times every day throughout the five boroughs.
At Citizen, we take care not to flood the app with false alarms, so among these daily reports, there are only certain instances where we will actively warn the public of a potentially dangerous device.
Our mission, to Protect the World, means keeping the public aware of on-going incidents occurring around them. Overall, we notify users about a relative minority of reports of suspicious packages, but the ones we do include have the potential to be the biggest stories we cover.
On October 24th, 2018, we alerted users in New York’s Columbus Circle to a suspicious package investigation ten minutes before CNN’s office was told to evacuate because of an explosive device sent to their mailroom. This became part of an enormous story with many other political figures receiving similar devices that week. Since knowledge has the power to make our world safer, we want to shed some light on our process behind how and when we cover these types of events.
Who is Responding
If the police treat something as a risk, so do we. The presence of specialized NYPD units is our main barometer for when to notify users of an investigation. A request for the Emergency Service Unit (ESU) is the first step in determining the threat-level of an item. If there is any merit to a possible threat from a particular item, police patrol contacts ESU, who determines if the Bomb Squad is needed.
The presence of specialized units typically leads Citizen to escalate incidents and consider sending wider notifications.
Where It Is
To avoid unnecessary panic, we include preliminary investigations before notifying users. As circumstances have the potential to evolve quickly, we keep track of these reports so we can choose to escalate our response as the situation unfolds.
How do we decide which of the hundreds of reports might turn into a larger investigation?
Whether or not tactical units are requested depends on a variety of factors—sometimes it has to do with how a suspicious package looks. Other times, items in high-profile locations draw added scrutiny. A suspicious bag on a random subway in an outer-borough is unlikely to get as much attention as a bag abandoned in the heart of Times Square.
What It Is
Bedbugs are typically the most legitimate threat posed by curbside luggage. People forget shopping bags all the time. Pressure cookers, “devices” or “substances,” however, are more likely to draw specialized units, especially in high-profile locations. Police will also respond to suspicious letters, which cause alert if they lack a return address, are strangely shaped or excessively wrapped, contain a powder, or seem otherwise atypical. A package that can be tied to a person who left it suspiciously (eg. ran away from it, placed it very carefully, or made an observable threat) will certainly get a larger response than an anonymous suitcase as well.
Live Updates
Many investigations are launched out of an abundance of caution. We take care to make it clear when threats are confirmed, declared false, or still ongoing. Our goal is to keep the public informed and free of unnecessary fear. Citizen users play an important role in our access to that information.
The NYPD approaches suspicious devices with caution and will evacuate sidewalks, close off streets to traffic, and often cease radio usage near the device to avoid accidentally setting it off. When you go live, we can keep the incidents on Citizen updated based on what you’re showing us in real-time.
Citizen video broadcasts can be the difference between the public knowing if an investigation is ongoing or if things are under control.
If you broadcast live on Citizen to show Bomb Squad offices suiting up or breaking down, firefighters closing off streets, or police leaving the scene, it helps countless users understand the situation and feel reassured in the choices they’ve make for their own safety, bringing us one step forward in protecting the world.
Citizen instantly sends safety alerts directly to your phone whenever significant crime or emergencies happen near you.
