It’s good to use people in the community to help look for suspicious activities. But this, as agencies like the FBI have learned in the Post 9/11 era, can create an endless stream of worthless tips. Too much encouragement may create endless busy work. FBI Director Robert Mueller III is scheduled to speak at the conference later today. It will be interesting to see if he addresses this particular issue.
By EILEEN SULLIVAN and P. SOLOMON BANDA
Associated Press
DENVER — A store clerk’s curiosity about why Najibullah Zazi was buying large quantities of beauty supply products indicated that something about the transaction wasn’t quite right – and it’s an example of the kind of citizen vigilance that can combat terror, a police commander said Saturday.
Los Angeles police Cmdr. Joan McNamara cited this summer’s incident as police chiefs meeting in Denver adopted a model for a nationwide community watch program that teaches people what behavior is truly suspicious and encourages them to report it to police.
