Yesterday the nation was captivated by breaking news about three young women and a child who escaped captivity after being kidnapped about 10 years ago. There is some controversy now about whether community residents took notice of suspicious activity and called police. A Chicago Tribune report discusses this issue in which some conflict exists as to whether anyone had information which could have led to earlier police action to free the victims. This brings to mind the tragic and popular March 1964 story of Kitty Genovese who was stabbed and sexually assaulted near her Queens, NY apartment building while multiple bystanders took no action help her. The correlation to Cleveland is not too far of a stretch. There is a field of academic study on situations such as this. Social scientists call this the Bystander Affect which, in summary, suggests that in times of a crisis, the more people present will result in less people taking action for a number of reasons including a diffusion of responsibility (when more are present) and behaving in a socially acceptable way (when less people are present).
The connection to homeland security and emergency management comes when we look at today's efforts to have the public participate in security by serving as observers and reporters. The See Something Say Something program which began in New York has gone national in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Considering the Bystander Effect, a question comes to mind as to whether we can rely on the public to say something if they see something or simply see something and do nothing. There is some data out there which shows that while numerous calls are made to terror tip hotlines, See Something Say Something has led to zero terrorist arrests. Is that the only metric in which to gauge the program? I would add that calls regarding suspicious packages such as an unattended backpack on a subway platform, is a valuable metric. Then we can add a separate indicator as to what the outcome of the call and investigation was. Was the suspicious package an explosive device or just some kid's school books? Let me turn to the Boston terrorist bombings. It is unclear whether the public would have had enough reaction time even if someone saw the backpacks, however, this incident should serve as a stark reminder of how valuable saying something if you see something can be. The street vendor who reported a suspicious auto in Times Square in May 2010 is an example of someone seeing something and saying something.
We all have a role in public safety and security. In the wake of the Boston bombings and with the Cleveland incident in mind, we need to amplify our efforts to enlist the help of the public in reporting suspicious activity and suspicious packages. While I am not suggesting a siege mentality, the reality is that security and law enforcement assets are reliant upon good information. That information comes from an aware, informed and, participating citizenry.
Steven Kuhr
Emergency Management Nexus
skuhr.blogspot.com
facebook.com/EMNexus
twitter.com/Steven_Kuhr
#EMNexus
I managed a 9-1-1 centralized comm center for many years. Call centers would be a great place to mine data showing what people notice and what they report.
ReplyDeleteThat experience tells me that many people see something and say something. The problem is that there are so many things reported that responders become desensitized to some degree.
This is especially seen when the reports are made by the same people over and over again. These callers were the folks who are out in the community looking diligently at what was going on around them. They are the people who know their neighbors routines and habits so would notice when something was unusual.
This type of person becomes ostracized and ridiculed for being creepy. Once that happens, responders quit taking the calls seriously.
Then when the big nasty happens, they all look back and wonder why no one noticed what was going on sooner....
Thank you for that perspective. Do you think desensitization many have occurred in Cleveland? Thanks for contributing.
ReplyDeleteI think it's quite possible. We get used to seeing things a certain way and just accept it for whatever it may or may not be (if that makes sense). I suspect that the neighbors knew Castro to be odd and so his activities went with that perception of his character. I'm sure that LEO in that particular area receives dozens and dozens of calls relating to suspicious activity that pans out to be nothing... it's just the nature of that type of neighborhood unfortunately. Personally, I've heard many cops and others complain about having to respond "again" to the same things. Eventually, the citizens just quit calling because it becomes obvious no one is taking the calls seriously. Sad.
ReplyDeleteSomething else to consider is that we, as a society, have reached a point of offense... what I mean is that so many people are so easily offended. If it were known that I'm aware of my neighbor's habits, comings & goings, and routine things I would be a stalker or pervert or some other equally bad person. There was a time when it was considered neighborly to know what's up on your block and who the people are. Not so much anymore.
Back when I was a paramedic in NYC, we had "frequent flyers" which as you can assume are citizens who call repeatedly. I recall one gentleman with respiratory illness who we would respond to frequently, treat him, and drop him at the ER where would promptly light a cigarette and go home. I think there are some similarities here. I hear you on your last note. I think this relates to political correctness. We must overcome this as a society. Thank you so much for engaging.
ReplyDelete