Exploring the Effectiveness of Transit Security Awareness Campaigns in the San Francisco Bay Area finds: ”none of the five agencies analyzed for this study measures the effectiveness of their campaigns. Whereas they all have a similar goal—to increase passenger awareness about security issues—little evidence therefore exists confirming whether they are achieving this goal.”

But also according to the report: “A positive finding of this research is the consistency with which Bay Area transit organizations address the need for passenger awareness as part of their overall security program.”

It is an issue that I have brought up on the blog previously. While the awareness of these “See Something, Say Something” campaigns are up, I have yet to see real data that indicates how well they are actually working — and could be improved. This study reinforces my inclination and the need for study and specific instructions.

The report offers some suggestions on authorities can better establish metrics for determining success for the awareness campaigns, including surveying customers. Thanks to Homeland Security Digital Library where I saw this study originally.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has just begun rolling out a national “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign, and I saw its new advertising posters in many of the cars. I had been at DHS headquarters earlier in the day hearing more about the new launch from officials managing the program. They weren’t sure how extensive distribution has gotten thus far, and my e-mail tip confirmed that the ads were at least up all over my train. Below are a couple of the new posters hot off the presses:

A new “If You See Something, Say Something” poster just going up on Amtrak trains aimed at the public.

The national expansion of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign is part of DHS’s new effort to support state and local law enforcement, community groups and the public in identifying and mitigating terror threats whose theme is “Homeland security begins with hometown security”.

The new measures are based on recommendations made by the Homeland Security Advisory Council’s (HSAC) “Countering Violent Extremism” Working Group—comprised of chiefs of police, sheriffs, community leaders and homeland security experts—on ways DHS can better support community-based efforts to combat violent extremism in the United States.

Expanding the community and citizen role in homeland security has been encouraged by the blog, and I think it is a terrific development. Most of the new initiatives are directed towards bolstering the work of state and local law enforcement organizations — including a series of regional summits beginning this fall on successful community-oriented policing and other crime reduction programs. But Napolitano also announced some proposals focused directly on the public, most prominently the expansion of “See Something, Say Something”.

In the coming months, DHS will continue to rollout the campaign nationally the U.S. with public education materials, the poster ads and other outreach tools to engage travelers, businesses, community organizations and public and private sector employees to remain vigilant and play an active role in keeping the country safe. The focus on the state, local and public reflects an increased threat coming out of communities from around the U.S., which might not fully hit the national intelligence radar.

Poster for general aviation locations

The campaign posters will begin to become ubiquitous in the transportation sector, including on trains, general aviation sites and soon on buses and subways. It has been developed to be customizable by location. For example, in cities one of the taglines is: ”did you see something suspicious commuting to work or grabbing some lunch” along with a local contact phone number. Officials from many sports facilities and college campuses have also expressed interest in taking advantage of the campaign for their locations.

The new blue “if you SEE something logo SAY something” logo — which is a little softer and less visibly urgent than the original New York executions with yellow background and block black lettering (but now also blue) — was created by a designer at the Transportation Security Administration. If you’ve ’seen’ the new ads yourself, what do you ’say’ about them?

The article explains how a Twitter tweet led to the arrest of a man accused of exposing himself on the subway. The transit police chief said a passenger posted a picture on Twitter that led to the suspect. But it got to the authorities somewhat indirectly: yesterday, the Boston Herald reported they alerted the transit police — which is not yet on Twitter — to the tweets about the incident.

The transit police now plan to set up a Twitter account within a month. General manager Richard A. Davey said that although it is not a cure-all, technology can help law enforcement keep passengers safe and secure. “It is not in place of 911,’’ Davey said, “but if there are crimes and people report them, that helps us keep passengers safer.’’

Thanks to David Stephenson (@data4all) for bringing this story to my attention.

What better way to start my first blog post than to let you know I am very interested in what the public has to say. My top priorities include improving TSA’s counterterrorism focus through intelligence and cutting edge technology, supporting the workforce, and strengthening our relationships with stakeholders and the traveling public.

I’ve seen firsthand that strong counterterrorism efforts include an engaged and informed public and it’s imperative that we listen.

Because I think the public’s voice is so important, I am launching “Talk to TSA.” It works the same as “Got Feedback?” did. You go to the web page and you can leave detailed feedback for a specific airport’s Customer Support Manager. The new and improved part of this process is that I will also be regularly reviewing your input along with the comments that are made here on the blog.

I commit to you that I will utilize “Talk to TSA” to address some of the more commonly asked questions and themes. I’ll be addressing those concerns right here on the blog. So send us your ideas, suggestions, and feedback. I’m listening.

To leave a comment, click here or on the icon below.

Summertime isn’t officially here yet, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s summer as soon as the pools are open. So, in preparation for this holiday weekend and the summer travel season to come, I wanted to post some helpful travel tips. Our highly trained security officers are prepared for the increase in passenger volumes and are dedicated to ensuring safe travels. TSA will be fully staffed and prepared to address the needs of the traveling public this summer.

So lather up with your favorite suntan lotion, take your laptop out in the sun, and read all about TSA travel tips. Fruity beverages and lounge music are optional.

Though the advice may seem mundane, following it may be the most useful way the average citizen can contribute to airline security. The tips include how to pack, how to get through the line faster, the ‘right’ clothes to wear and how to best deal with special circumstances. The most important, according to Blogger Bob:

The best piece of advice I could give a traveler is to arrive early. No matter what happens, (aside from a flight being cancelled) if you get to the airport early, you should be fine. Worst case scenario is you’ll have some time to catch up on some reading or a few Z’s while you wait on your flight.

The full post and more information on travel security can be found here.

From the TSA Blog’s “Summer Travel Tips”

If you are a tow boat operator, a recreational boater, a fisherman, a marina operator, or otherwise live, work or engage in recreational activities around America’s waterways, the United States Coast Guard wants your help in keeping these areas safe and secure. You can do this by participating in its America’s Waterway Watch (AWW) program, a nationwide initiative similar to the well known and successful Neighborhood Watch program that asks community members to report suspicious activities to local law enforcement agencies.

As a person who spends much of your time on or near the water, you already know what is normal and what is not, and you are well suited to notice suspicious activities – activities possibly indicating threats to our nation’s homeland security. And as a participant in America’s Waterway Watch we urge you to adopt a heightened sense of sensitivity toward unusual events or individuals you may encounter in or around ports, docks, marinas, riversides, beaches, or waterfront communities.

You should always remember that people are not suspicious, behavior is. And if you observe suspicious behavior or activity, you should simply note the details and contact local law enforcement. You are not expected to approach or challenge anyone acting in a suspicious manner.

America’s Waterway Watch is a public outreach program, encouraging participants to simply report suspicious activity to the Coast Guard and/or other law enforcement agencies. Unlike some Neighborhood Watch programs, for example, you are not formally joining an organization — there are no meetings, membership cards or membership requirements — and you do not become an agent of the Coast Guard or any other law enforcement agency.

A U.S. Coast Guard YouTube video about the program is below:

America’s Waterway Watch Introductory Video

If you are interested in more information on Waterway Watch, go to its website here. If you would like to volunteer in your area, call your local Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla — contact info for the closest branch can be found at its site www.cgaux.org/units.html.

Although progress has been made in improving surface transportation security, US ground transportation remains poorly organized and unacceptably vulnerable, according to a report issued late last week by the Obama administration.

The report, titled, Surface Transportation Security Priority Assessment, issued only days after last week’s suicide bombings on the Moscow subway system, describes the current ground security system as inefficient, and calls for more focused, collaborative effort between the public and private sector to identify and rectify continuing areas of risk.

I was struck right away in reading the report that the public’s role is mentioned in the first sentence:

Securing the Nation’s surface transportation network requires a coordinated effort among all levels of government, the private and nonprofit sectors, communities, and individual citizens. While much has been accomplished to date toward securing this network, a highly focused, collaborative effort is required to identify residual risks and associated solution paths. This report presents the results of a collaborative process that produced recommendations compiled from participating stakeholders’ individual recommendations for increasing the security of the surface transportation system.

However, the Assessment itself does not really mention the citizen’s role in its initial recommendations. Clearly, the public and private sector have the predominant responsibility for surface transportation security and are the priority. Yet, as the Assessment notes, riders also need to be made part of the effort. As the Administration continues work on this issue, it should make sure to give some attention to public piece of the equation. One way I think would be to building upon the “See Something, Say Something”-type information campaigns by providing more specifics and follow-up.