For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced the expansion of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) "If You See Something, Say Something™" public awareness campaign to the Washington State Ferries (WSF)—a partnership that will help to ensure the safety and security of riders, customers and crew members throughout the WSF system.
"Every citizen plays a role in identifying and reporting suspicious activities and threats," said Secretary Napolitano. "Expanding the 'If You See Something, Say Something™' campaign to the Washington State Ferries is an important part of the Department's efforts to help protect our nation and engage the American public in keeping our country safe and resilient."
The "If You See Something, Say Something™" campaign—originally implemented by New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and now licensed to DHS for a nationwide campaign—is a simple and effective program to engage the public and key frontline employees to identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.
Earlier today, DHS Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs Betsy Markey joined Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Assistant Secretary David Moseley at the Colman Dock in Seattle for a tour of the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge. With the official launch of today's partnership, "If You See Something, Say Something™" campaign posters will be displayed at all ferry locations and aboard ferries throughout the WSF system.
"I'm excited that we're the first ferry system in the nation to be partnering with the Department of Homeland Security on their 'If You See Something, Say Something™' campaign," said WSDOT Assistant Secretary David Moseley. "The ferry system carries more than 22 million riders each year and the safety of our customers and crews is our highest priority."
Over the past ten months, DHS has worked with its federal, state, local and private sector partners, as well as the Department of Justice, to expand the "If You See Something, Say Something™" campaign and the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative—an administration effort to train state and local law enforcement to recognize behaviors and indicators related to terrorism, crime and other threats; standardize how those observations are documented and analyzed; and expand and enhance the sharing of those reports with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and DHS—to communities throughout the country.
Partnerships with the "If You See Something, Say Something™" campaign have recently been launched by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Football League (NFL), as well as in several states including Colorado, Minnesota and New Jersey, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) and more than 9,000 federal buildings nationwide, Walmart, Mall of America, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Amtrak, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the general aviation industry, and state and local fusion centers across the country. In March, Secretary Napolitano unveiled the "If You See Something, Say Something™" public awareness video, available here.
In the coming months, DHS will continue to expand the "If You See Something, Say Something™" campaign nationally to help America's business, communities and citizens remain vigilant and play an active role in keeping the country safe.
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