For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
NEW ORLEANS—Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today visited New Orleans, La., to deliver remarks about DHS' nationwide "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign at the National Sports Safety and Security Conference—building on the Department’s continued collaboration with the sports industry to improve the security and resilience of their facilities.
In her remarks, Secretary Napolitano encouraged industry leaders to partner with DHS on an "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign geared toward enabling the public to identify and report suspicious activity at stadiums and sports facilities across the country in order to help ensure the security of players, employees and fans.
"Security is a shared responsibility that relies on the active participation of the private sector—including our sports industry partners," said Secretary Napolitano. "The 'If You See Something, Say Something Campaign' gives the public the tools to identify and report suspicious activity—and in turn prevent and disrupt potential threats—at sporting events across the country."
Secretary Napolitano underscored the Department's ongoing partnership with the sports industry to improve stadium security—including DHS' commitment to visit all 300 of America's major sports leagues and NCAA Division I facilities, with nearly 260 receiving security assessments from DHS teams since May. Additionally, DHS' Science and Technology Directorate is currently supporting a program that aims to enhance the safety of players, staff and spectators by modeling the evacuation of sports facilities, which is being developed by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety And Security at the University of Southern Mississippi—part of the Southeast Region Research Initiative.
The Secretary highlighted the Department’s recent expansion of the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign—which seeks to raise public awareness of indicators of threats and emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities.
While in New Orleans, Secretary Napolitano also met with federal, state and local officials to discuss the federal government’s ongoing response to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This was Secretary Napolitano's eighth visit to the Gulf Coast since April to oversee response and recovery efforts.
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