Individual Responsibility

Today continues a disturbing trend of bomb scares, explosions and the discovery of poisonous materials. Earlier this morning, a low-level explosive was detonated in front of the military recruiting station in Times Square. The device appears to have been rudimentary and placed, ironically, in an ammunition box. At the University of California, Davis two partially assembled pipe bombs were discovered. Neither of these cases appear to be related to “terrorist” acts. Almost immediately following these two stories, the Denver City and County Building was evacuated due to a bomb threat. Details regarding how the threat was made are still unknown at this time. Last week, ricin was found in a Las Vegas hotel room.

It is doubtful that these incidents are related but unfortunately the appetite of the 24/7 news networks are keeping these stories in minds of the public. Concerned citizens will be demanding their public safety officials reassure them that they face no danger. Both the mayor of New York City and the police commissioner had to answer repeated questions from the media regarding the safety of the city. New York City covers some 322 square miles yet it only took one small explosion (that did not injure anyone or cause any discernable damage) to make the headlines. The UC Davis pipe bombs weren’t even fully assembled yet their discovery led to top billing on the Fox News website for a time. The ricin case in Las Vegas did include the finding of other materials suggesting the poison was going to be used in some sort of an attack. For those who may be unfamiliar with ricin, it is a poison found naturally in castor beans. Ricin can be made from the waste material left over from processing castor beans into castor oil. Ricin can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid.

While citizens have the right to be concerned, they also need to realize how rare these incidents still are. Most citizens are far more likely to deal with a natural disaster or some type of accident than they are to face a terrorist attack. Newer and more sophisticated passive detection systems are being purchased and installed throughout the US making it harder for large explosive devices to be placed near points of vulnerability. More and more employees from public safety as well as public utilizes are receiving training on how to restore and maintain critical infrastructures during the event of a catastrophic disaster (to include a major terrorist attack). These same officials are insuring our infrastructure is as hardened to an attack as possible.

The real threat from these incidents is the potential over-reaction by public safety officials in responding to citizen’s concerns. Balancing the safety and well being of our communities without giving up our civil liberties will be the real test. It is one thing to build a bomb but what about some who happens to have all of the pre-cursor materials? Do we associate malice intent with possession? Law enforcement agencies struggle a few years ago with the term “profiling”. Associating certain behaviors with certain racial or ethnic groups became extremely controversial. Instead of racial or ethnic profiling, now we could start having a profiling of sorts based on possession of certain materials (yes, we already have that to a degree with illegal drugs). For instance, those who like to hunt may also reload their ammunition which means large amounts of gunpowder on hand. Target shooters may stockpile large amounts of ammunition. Castor beans have many legitimate uses besides producing ricin. Will this behaviors suddenly become grounds for neighbors or friends to contact authorities? How many hours will be wasted potentially investigating citizens engaged in lawful and peaceful activities?

Recent shootings at Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech have caused a major re-evaluation of security procedures by college officials nationwide. The challenge remains how to increase security of an environment designed with an open architecture? Colleges and universities are created to foster the open exchange of ideas and as such the design of campuses are intended to reflect that mindset. Increasing security using techniques such as requiring the wear of identification badges, accepting random searches of personal items before entering buildings or even randomly searching dorms with bomb sniffing dogs seems anathema to what colleges and universities are supposed to embody. Yet without revamping current campus security practices to some degree, students and faculty will remain exposed to the random violent attack.

Individual responsibility and awareness then seems to remain the most prudent and least intrusive approach to safety and security. Individuals need to take responsibility for their safety, go back to the basics if you will;
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Know where the fire exits are.
- Know where the emergency call boxes are.
- Insure your cell phone is charged.
- Know where and how to take cover in the event of a shooting or explosion.
- Know who to contact in the event you notice suspicious behavior.
- Don’t disregard your gut feelings; if someone makes you feel uncomfortable there is probably a good reason (think about the number of people that felt uncomfortable around the Virginia Tech shooter BEFORE he committed murder). Avoid such individuals, if possible, and report them to the appropriate authorities. Even if reporting their behavior isn’t feasible, at least let someone you trust know about your feelings.
- Always let someone know where you are