Sheriff, FBI launch anti-terrorism program

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in launching the state’s first Anti-Terrorism Awareness program, said Sheriff Clarence Dupnik in a press conference held Monday.

The interactive program, “Terrorism and You,” is designed to teach businesses and the general public how to spot suspicious activity that may indicate a potential terrorist threat, he said.

Dupnik was inspired by a highly publicized January 2006, incident involving a store clerk who foiled a six-person plot to kill soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J. The clerk reported suspicious footage he’d viewed while converting video film onto a DVD, leading FBI agents to the capture of members of a dangerous militant Muslim group.

“We’re going to be reaching out to the community in a proactive way,” said Dupnik. “Informed, educated citizens could prevent a national disaster from occurring.”

One federal agent and one deputy will be working together full time giving presentations to businesses, neighborhood associations, landlords and any groups interested in learning about terrorism awareness.

They’ll also be promoting the program’s Terrorism Hotline, 547-8477(TIPS), initially set up in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, said Dupnik. The hot line will be manned Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m; recordings left after hours are monitored 24 hours a day.

All calls relating to terrorism will be investigated at the local, state and federal level, said Dupnik.

“Terrorism and You will teach people how to know when strange behavior is dangerous behavior,” said Director of Arizona Homeland Security Leesa Berens Morrison, who made it clear, however, that the program does not promote racial profiling.

“It’s behavior we want the public to focus on, not ethnicity,” she said.

Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States and a Tucson native, compared our current war on terror to the Russian threat of the 1950s.

“In the 1950s and 60s, our country understood civil defense. These days our challenges are more complex, but it seems that as a country, we’ve lost that initiative. This program will serve as a model our country has desperately needed for some time,” he said.

For more information on the program or to set up a presentation, call the hot line (520)-547-8477.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726