Have you ever been in a public setting perhaps a shopping mall, movie theatre or concert and saw something that just didn’t look or feel right? Maybe it was an unattended item or somebody taking unusual pictures that raised your suspicions. If so, did you do anything about it? Most of us are probably guilty at some point or another in our lives of brushing it off as “nothing” and failing to take action. But what if that suspicious “nothing” was actually “something” and your response could save lives or property?
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched the nationwide “If You See Something, Say Something” public awareness campaign in July of 2010 as a simple and effective program to raise public awareness of indicators of terrorism and terrorism-related crime, and to emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the proper authorities. Since then, many local law enforcement agencies have partnered with the DHS and each other to develop more localized versions of the same campaign. In Orange County we are fortunate to have an extremely advanced and collaborative network that responds to reported information called the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC).
This network of professionals is comprised of 11 agencies which work collaboratively to detect, protect and respond to numerous tips of suspicious activity every day in Orange County. This is accomplished through the collection, analysis and dissemination of information on all criminal risks and safety threats to law enforcement, fire, health, private sector and public sector stakeholders. The OCIAC invites the public to report suspicious activity to local law enforcement or directly to them by calling (714) 289-3949 or submitting a tip on their website @ https://ociac.org/
The best way to recognize suspicious activity in a public setting is by having good situational awareness. Terrorist attacks are not impulsive but rather quite the contrary. They typically require very meticulous planning and preparation. The following link provides a list of what are called pre-incident indicators to terrorism as identified by OCIAC: https://ociac.org/default.aspx/MenuItemID/217/MenuGroup/HomeRight.htm
Also, please keep the following practices in mind and do your part to make UC Irvine & Orange County a safer place to work, live and enjoy:
• Take note of your surroundings.
• Know the routine of your business area, home and community.
• Look out for unusual conduct or behavior.
• Be aware of suspicious objects, packages or vehicles in your area.
• If you hear a threat by someone that could be credible, take it seriously and report it.
We encourage the community to partner with the UC Irvine Police Department to prevent or report crime by calling (949) 824-5223. If you wish to remain Anonymous, call “OC Crime Stoppers” by dialing 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227), text "OCCS" plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or use the website http://occrimestoppers.org/
Receive updates directly via email by registering at Nixle.com and search for "UC Irvine Police" or text "UCIrvinePD" to 888777 to receive text message alerts only. Standard text messaging rates may apply depending on your calling plan.
UC Irvine Police Department
(949) 824-5223
http://police.uci.edu/
http://facebook.com/UCIrvinePD
http://twitter.com/UCIrvinePD
http://youtube.com/UCIrvinePD
http://nixle.com/University-of-California-Irvine-Police-Department
