TALLAHASSEE — Just in time for the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Florida officials launched a campaign encouraging citizens to report suspicious activity.
Gov. Rick Scott, joined by FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Betsy Markey, announced the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign Thursday. "As we draw closer to the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, there is no better time to remember the many lives lost that day a decade ago, and to remind citizens of the need to remain vigilant," Scott said.
"If it's going to be a system that's going to allow people to demonstrate their biases, then I think it could be destructive and cause tension in the community. And such a thing will not benefit anyone," Imam Siddiq Abdullah of the Islamic Center of South Florida in West Palm Beach said.
The state will promote the campaign on television, radio and billboards, and urge residents to report suspicious activity to a hot line, (855) FLA-SAFE, (352-7233) said Bailey, who is also chairman of the Domestic Security Oversight Council.
Ahhhh.....another,,We are here from the Scott office and here to protect you..Right?
Guess what..I talked to people in the diner and they were blaming liberals? Go figure.
ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon blasted what he called an unreliable, "turn in your neighbor" program.
Such a Conservative organization//How can liberals be blames for this nonsense..
These People Want government when they want it..PERIOD
"Instead of turning up actual, reliable tips, this blunt approach pits neighbor against neighbor and citizen against citizen and increases suspicion and mistrust rather than building cooperation and understanding," Simon said.
But Bailey insisted the program, created by the New York City Transportation Authority in 2002, targets behavior, not people. "When it comes to suspicious activity, it's not a particular type of person you're going to be looking for, but behavior," he said.
Tips received through the hot line and FDLE's website, www.fdle.state.fl.us, will be sent to the Florida Fusion Center in Tallahassee, where analysts will decide whether the information is legitimate.
Tips that are found not valid will be purged within 90 days, according to the center's privacy policy. Tips of uncertain validity will be kept up to two years before being purged. Once a tip is validated, the information can be shared with other law enforcement agencies.
Individuals may never know if their names are in the database - that information is exempt from public scrutiny.
But according to the policy, the Fusion Center will not seek or keep information about individuals "solely on the basis of their religious, political, or social views or activities; their participation in a particular noncriminal organization or lawful event; or their race, ethnicity, citizenship, place of origin, age, disability, gender, or sexual orientation." The center can keep information if it relates to efforts to "detect, anticipate, or prevent criminal activity."
The Department of Homeland Security launched the If You See Something effort on a national level last year. The effort also has the support of businesses including Wal-Mart and sports organizations including the NBA, NFL and NCAA. Several other states, including New Jersey, Minnesota and Colorado, have similar initiatives.
Comments are closed on this story.