SEE SOMETHING? SAY SOMETHING!

Report suspicious activity.

Call Ohio Homeland Security:

1-877-OHS-INTEL

 1-877-647-4683

For emergency, call 9-1-1.

Do not jeopardize your safety or the safety of others.

Following the events of September 11,  2001, many federal, state, and local agencies  initiated efforts to improve information  sharing and intelligence gathering. Since  that time, all 50 states and over 20 separate  metropolitan areas have established state  or local fusion centers to partner with the  FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs)  nationwide.

Fusion centers are uniquely situated to  provide the local implications of national  intelligence to front-line law enforcement,  public safety, emergency response, public  health, infrastructure protection, and private  sector security partners. Fusion centers  also provide interdisciplinary expertise and  situational awareness to decision-makers at  all levels of government. Ohio is fortunate to  have three federally recognized fusion centers  in our state. These centers receive, analyze  and disseminate information from a multitude  of sources in order to prevent terrorism  and other crimes.

The primary statewide  center in Ohio is Ohio Homeland Security’s  Strategic Analysis and Information Center  (SAIC). Additionally, there are two regional  centers: the Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion  Center (NEORFC) and the Regional Information  Operations Center in Hamilton County. These  centers work together to create a streamlined  information sharing system for Ohio’s first responders. In order to be successful, fusion  centers rely on every citizen to report  suspicious activity. 

Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) are  one of our best defenses against terrorist  threats and our greatest resource to building  resilience. Every day, members of the public  work with law enforcement officers to help  keep our communities safe by reporting  activities that are out of the ordinary and  suspicious. It is critical that law enforcement  officers at all levels of government – state,  local, tribal, territorial, and federal – observe  suspicious behaviors or receive reports from  concerned civilians, private security, and  other government agencies. These reports  of suspicious activity play a vital role in  countering terrorism and crime as they  contribute to 9 out of every 10 arrests that  are made.

An aware and engaged public that  understands what constitutes unusual and  suspicious behavior is essential to protecting  our communities from terrorist threats. For  example, maybe you are at a high profile  location or, perhaps a sporting event and you  notice a person nearby taking several photos.  While that is not unusual, you may also notice  that the person is only taking photos of the  locations of surveillance cameras, entrance  crash barriers, and access control procedures. That type of activity would be unusual.

The following are examples of other unusual  activities that should cause a heightened  sense of suspicion:

•             Monitoring personnel or vehicles entering/leaving facilities or parking areas

•             Burns on body, missing finger(s) or hand, bloody clothing, bleached body hair or bright colored stains on clothing; switch or wires concealed in hand, clothing, or backpack

•             Unusual or prolonged interest in the following: security measures or personnel;  security cameras; entry points and access  controls; perimeter barriers (fences/walls); unattended train or bus

•             Purposely placing objects (e.g., packages,  luggage, vehicles) in sensitive or vulnerable areas to observesecurity responses

•             Individuals or actions which are out of place for their surroundings (e.g., over or underdressed for the weather)

•             Unusual, vague, or cryptic threats, warnings, or comments about harming others

Some of these activities, taken individually, could be innocent and must be examined by law enforcement professionals in a larger context to determine where there is a basis to investigate. The activities outlined above are by no means all-inclusive but have been compiled from a review of terrorist events over several years.

Citation: Bureau of Justice Assistance/FBI Joint Bulletin,

“Communities Against Terrorism: Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities Related to Mass Transportation”

Report suspicious activity.

Call Ohio Homeland Security:

1-877-OHS-INTEL

 1-877-647-4683

For emergency, call 9-1-1.

Do not jeopardize your safety or the safety of others.