See Something, Say Something?
What would you do?
So, you’re walking through the mall, and see a group of men acting unusually. They are sitting near the food court, looking around as they talk to each other. Some of the men are on the phone. Some are writing in a notebook. They don’t appear to be shopping, nor do they appear to have any interest in eating.
Do you:
(a) Go sit at a table close to them so you can hear what they are doing. Surely they must be up to something and you just need the proof.
(b) Shrug it off and continue shopping. After all, you don’t want to get involved in other people’s business. Plus, there is a great sale you’ve been waiting for.
(c)Take mental notes of what you see and walk over to mall security to report what you observed.
Or…..
So, you just sat down on the train, ready for your commute home. It was a long day at work; you just want to catch some sleep on your way home. As people are boarding, you notice a man carrying a bag — he walks back and sits down in a seat up ahead of you. He sets the bag on the seat next to him, then slides it under the seat in front of him. You’re just about to fall asleep as the train approaches the next station. As the train slows to a stop, you notice the man get up and walk forward. The doors open and passengers pour into the train as you watch the normal race to find a seat that you have become accustomed to. However, you don’t notice the man return to his seat.
Do you:
(a) Walk over to his seat and take a look at his bag. If this is something suspicious, you’d be able to find out right away by taking a look.
(b) Shrug it off and try to get that sleep you were looking forward to. Maybe he just went to the bathroom. Maybe he forgot his bag and just can’t get back to his seat. Either way, you don’t want to get involved in other people’s business. After all, you don’t want to cause any trouble.
(c) Walk up to the train staff and report the events with a description and location of the bag.
Or…..
So, you are approaching your office building downtown. It’s going to be a long day. You have meetings all morning and a brief to prepare for. As you walk up the outside stairs, you notice a man sitting on a wall by the street taking pictures of the building and the street. You walk through the door and head over to the elevators — you just want to get this day over with. A few days later, as you are walking up to your office building, you notice a man walking down the sidewalk with a camera. He is taking pictures and looking around. You think that may have been the same man from a few days ago, but can’t be sure.
Do you:
(a) Walk back down the stairs to sit on a bench for a little while to watch him longer. You have a light day and can afford to be a few minutes late. After all, if you can just watch him for a few minutes, maybe you can see what he is up to.
(b) Shrug it off and head into the office. You finally got that brief out of the way and just want to relax and make some progress on your inbox. You can’t even be sure it is the same man and, even if it is, you think that maybe he just enjoys taking photos. You don’t want to get involved in other people’s business — you just want to go to work.
(c) Take mental notes of what you see and walk into building security to report the events. You report a description of the man and note the fact that you believe you have seen him outside the building a few days earlier acting in the same manner.
These three scenarios are intended to present situations you may encounter and give you the opportunity to consider what you would do. These may seem obvious as you read them, and you may think — certainly, I would walk right up and report this immediately. It’s the right thing to do, right? However, truly put yourself in these situations. You may encounter something similar on a routine basis. How many times have you thought — something just doesn’t seem right about this? But, how many times have you shrugged it off, thinking — maybe I just didn’t see it right; maybe my imagination is getting the best of me; if there is something wrong, somebody else would have seen it and will report it; I don’t want to get anyone in trouble, especially if they aren’t doing anything wrong?
These thoughts are normal — and people have them all the time. The point is to not encourage us all to report every unusual event that we see or go out of our way to look for unusual events. Rather, the point is to challenge you to think about some of these things now — while you are relaxed and reading about security — not while you are witnessing one of these events. Yes, we have law enforcement and security personnel. However, we all need to realize that we ALL have a role in homeland security. We are the ones that shop at the mall — we are the ones that ride that train every day — we are the ones that work in that office building downtown. We are the ones that can recognize when something is just not right. We have to be prepared to report something if it feels out of place. We need to take a role in security. By tearing down the fences that separate us — the fences that make us feel like we are just one person and cannot make a difference — we can ensure our role in homeland security will make us all safer. So, think about it….
What would you do?
