IRONY: Gov't says ''Citizens key to homeland security program''

State hopes to train thousands of people to watch for signs of terrorist activity
Friday, July 25, 2003
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

State officials want to train Ohioans to help seek out terrorists through a program unveiled yesterday.

The theory is that the average citizen knows his neighborhood better than the average police officer, so it’s a good bet he’ll notice suspicious activity, said Domingo Herraiz, director of the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services.

The program’s slogan —"Watching Out, Helping Out" — sums up its goal. Officials hope to help Ohioans recognize the warning signs of terrorism and to understand they have power to help combat it.

Click on the "Read More..." link below.

Organizers of the Terrorism Awareness and Prevention Program have developed an information kit to instruct police officers and firefighters about spotting terrorists. They, in turn, are to teach others.

Ohioans will be taught to take note of the height, age, race, license-plate information and lo cation of anyone they find to be suspicious. They’ll learn about the history of terrorism and the difference between car bombs and dirty bombs. They’ll also learn what precautions they should take at each color-coded terror-alert level.

The initial goal is to train at least one officer in every lawenforcement district in the state, and the expectation is for the initial trainees to keep training more people in their community.

Herraiz said that within a year, he expects at least 175,000 citizens in Ohio to have been trained by using the terrorism kit.

The program cost $200,000 in federal funding to develop, and the information kits will be distributed free to law-enforcement agencies.

align="right">
Herraiz said 16 of the 19 Sept. 11 terrorists had caused suspicions among friends or neighbors, but those people didn’t report their concerns to police.

It’s possible they didn’t know who to report to or weren’t sure whether to bother police — situations officials want to avoid in the future, Herraiz said.

"Suspicious activity can come in any number of manners and forms. Fear and paranoia are really a product of not having knowledge," said Kenneth Morckel, director of the Department of Public Safety. "We’re trying to provide the knowledge, so we can prevent the fear."

OFCC PAC Commentary:
Someone needs to tell Mr. Morckel that fear and paranoia are much more the result of being made defenseless by Ohio law than by "not having knowledge".

We DO have this knowledge: Ohio may be a target of terrorism, and Ohio's violent crime rates are on the rise (in direct contrast to the rest of the nation). Yet if it were left to Bob Taft and his legislative enablers, Ohioans' constitutional right to self-defense would continue to be outlawed.

Related links:
Poll: 9-11 attacks and D.C. snipers trigger soccer mom support for self-defense

Taft: Ohio homeland security risk ''Elevated''; but you may not defend yourself

Click here to read the story in the Columbus Dispatch (subscription site - paid access only)