WASHINGTON, D.C – Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today unveiled new Spanish-language Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) “If You See Something, Say Something™” public awareness campaign during a roundtable meeting with Hispanic law enforcement groups at the White House. The PSAs are aimed at reaching out to the Spanish-speaking public to encourage them to report suspicious activity to local law enforcement.
“Homeland security is a shared responsibility and every citizen plays a critical role in identifying and reporting suspicious activities and threats,” said Secretary Napolitano. “The new ‘If You See Something, Say Something™’ Spanish-language public service announcements encourage citizens across the county to work together to build a strong foundation for a more secure and resilient homeland.”
During the roundtable meeting with officials from the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA), National Latino Peace Officers Association (NLPOA) and the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, Secretary Napolitano also underscored the importance of collaborating with the Hispanic law enforcement community to enhance public awareness, education and engagement through the “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign and the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative.
The new “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign radio and television Spanish-language PSAs inform viewers about how to notify authorities regarding potential threats. The PSAs will be distributed to Spanish-language television and radio stations across the country in California, Colorado, New York, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, Texas, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. The PSAs are available for viewing at www.dhs.gov/IfYouSeeSomethingSaySomething.
The “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign—originally implemented by New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority and now licensed to DHS for a nationwide campaign—is a simple and effective program to engage the public and key frontline employees to identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.
Over the past year, DHS has collaborated with federal, state, local and private sector partners to expand the “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign, and with the Department of Justice on the SAR Initiative—an administration effort to train state and local law enforcement to recognize behaviors and indicators related to terrorism, crime and other threats; standardize how those observations are documented and analyzed; and ensure the sharing of those reports with the Federal Bureau of Investigation-led Joint Terrorism Task Forces for further investigation.
Recent partnerships with the “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign include Major League Soccer, the Indianapolis 500, the U.S. Open, the Washington State Ferries, The City of Los Angeles, AEG Worldwide, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, Walmart, Mall of America, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Amtrak, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. In addition, more than 9,000 federal buildings, the general aviation industry, and state and local fusion centers across the country also participate in the campaign.
DHS will continue to expand the “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign nationally to help America’s businesses, communities and citizens remain vigilant and play an active role in keeping the country safe.
For more information, visit www.dhs.gov.
