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Miami-Dade homeland security officials ask for resident participation
 | 06.05.2006 | 08:06:50 | Views: 5440 | ID:

June 5 '06: Miami-Dade County Homeland Security officials held an instructional meeting with residents last week to help raise community awareness regarding spotting suspicious activity the Miami Herald reported recently. Under a new program begun in coordination with federal efforts nationally, local homeland security officials said that it was important residents become able to spot suspicious activity and that they report that activity. "The officers gave a run-down of the bureau's job, which is to gather, investigate and disseminate intelligence to avoid or quickly react to local attacks," the Herald reported.

Those national efforts were created under the Presidential Directive 8 (HSPD-8), which formed the Interim National Preparedness Goal in 2005. The Goal would "guide federal departments and agencies, state, territorial, local and tribal officials, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and the public in determining how to most effectively and efficiently strengthen preparedness for terrorist attack, major disasters, and other emergencies."

In a Justice Department release, the Goal also "establishes the national vision and priorities that will guide our efforts as we set measurable readiness benchmarks and targets to strengthen the Nation's preparedness," while being used with planning scenarios and capabilities which should be developed to help set "best practices" among first responders and emergency officials.

Other such programs to boost local communities like the Citizen Corps program along received additional funding from the Department of Homeland Security in 2006 with total federal grants almost reaching $20 million.

In Miami, Detective Michelle Marone told the group of citizens, "You guys are out there, so you see a lot more than we see." The Herald reported: "To remind people the reason why the bureau was formed last year ... [officials] showed excerpted footage and audio clips from the New York, Washington, London and Spain terrorist attacks. ... At the sight and sounds of such painful memories, sniffles and gasps were heard from some of the handfuls of residents at the meeting."

 

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