Advertisement

Napolitano urges security awareness

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano speaks during the launch of the U.S. International Strategy for Cyberspace in Washington, DC, on May 16, 2011. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano speaks during the launch of the U.S. International Strategy for Cyberspace in Washington, DC, on May 16, 2011. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano Wednesday urged the private sector to support the government's expanded security-awareness campaign.

"My hope and my charge to you today is to help us spread this public awareness message," The Hill reported Napolitano told a crowd of business owners at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington. "Quite frankly, we need all hands on deck in this effort" to make the "See Something, Say Something" campaign effective.

Advertisement

"You know, as members of the private sector -- and I know, in my role as secretary -- how hard it is to get a message across to the general public and get them thinking in that way. … No government department, no matter how large or how well-run, can do it by itself, and the private sector, no matter how large and well-run, [can't] do it by itself [either]. It has to be a partnership, and the public has to be involved," Napolitano said.

"There are no guarantees in this world and I'm not here to offer guarantees. There are lots of things that are threatened that can happen, but what we can do is maximize our ability to prevent an attack from occurring, minimize the ability of such an attack having a large impact and increase our ability to respond with efficiency and effectiveness."

Advertisement

The new "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign public service announcements, available at www.dhs.gov/IfYouSeeSomethingSaySomething, will be distributed to television and radio stations nationwide. The PSAs "present scenarios involving suspicious activity and educate viewers on how to notify authorities regarding potential threats," the department said in a release.

Latest Headlines