In war on terror, an expanding citizens' brigade
Off the nation's coasts, recreational boaters scan the waters for "suspicious" acts, from scuba diving in unlikely places to yachtmen sketching bridges or ports.
Manhattan's doormen learn how to spot packages that may contain biological weapons.
In Pennsylvania, amusement park operators train to recognize unusual phone calls or inappropriate requests for information.
Call them the new "first responders" in the war on terror. As average Americans, from truck drivers to handymen, are increasingly standing sentry, they're swelling the ranks of a citizens' army, always poised and on guard.
Last week, terror warnings sent law-enforcement officers fanning out across five financial buildings in Manhattan, Washington, and Newark. But grass-roots groups form another wall of defense, mobilizing in a nationwide watch for suspicious activity - from the supermarket to the state fair.
To some, it's the most effective, pervasive counterterrorism strategy there is. But even as officials warn that limousines or helicopters may be the next big targets, some worry that a sharp-eyed citizens' force could turn into an army of hypervigilant spies, one that may ultimately trample on civil rights.
"I have said for a long time that probably the last person who will have an opportunity to prevent an attack ... could be a 22-year-old deputy sheriff on a cold rainy night, someone who just sees something that's not right," says Randall Larsen, CEO and founder of Homeland Security Associates, a private consulting firm. "We need an alert, educated public ... but can't go too far. Where do you find that line? We don't seem to know."
For the most part, these citizen groups have voluntarily assumed their roles in the war on terror. In Pennsylvania, the state's Commission on Crime and Delinquency has been running antiterrorism training for everyone from Rotary Club members to small business owners.
Don Numer, the training supervisor there, says at least 60,000 residents have received training since 2002.
The program is a basic hourlong lesson to define terrorism, the best ways to report it, and suspicious signs - perhaps a phone call asking if a CEO is in or where he parks, Mr. Numer says.
The model will be taken national in September, says Eric Schultz, project director for USAonwatch, which provides terrorism-awareness training for Neighborhood Watch groups across the country.
Mr Schultz says 10,000 groups are registered with the National Sheriff's Association, and his organization hopes to reach out to even more communities.
Then there are Highway Watch, America's Waterway Watch, and Airport Watch. More than 10,000 truck drivers have joined Highway Watch, an American Trucking Association (ATA) initiative that trains drivers to notice and report emergency or suspicious situations on the road.
The ATA launched the program in 1998 and added an anti-terrorism component after 9/11. With a $19.3 million grant from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the ATA hopes to train 300,00 to 400,000 more drivers by December.
For driver Philip Gould, who works for Jevic Transportation of Delanco, N.J., the program was a chance for civic involvement. He joined Highway Watch in 2003. "I figured, I'm an American. I live in America. If we can't all pull together and do something for our own country what good are we?" Mr. Gould asks.
Experts say programs that train professionals to look out for specific risks can be effective tools. "These kinds of programs, particularly those that relate to critical infrastructure protection, are particularly useful," says Jack Riley, associate director of infrastructure, safety, and environment at the RAND Corporation. Truckers, for instance, are likely to notice if hazardous materials they transport have been tampered with.
And Mr. Larsen points to Israel, where he says an estimated two-thirds of suicide bombers are apprehended prior to detonating their bombs - which he attributes to an alert and educated public.
Mr. Riley is more skeptical of the average neighbor taking an active antiterror role. Though communities can provide response capability, they are unlikely to prevent attacks, he says. Before the terrorist attacks on 9/11, for example, some of the hijackers lived in American communities.
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