Fort Rucker officials encourage anti-terrorism awareness

By Russell Sellers, Army Flier StaffJuly 29, 2010

FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- August is Army Anti-Terrorism Awareness Month and residents are encouraged to remain vigilant year-round.

The Department of the Army implemented the iWatch program Aug. 1 as part of its anti-terrorism initiative.

The program is a nationwide version of neighborhood watch, according to Michael Whittaker, installation anti-terrorism officer. It is designed to encourage and enable residents to help protect their communities by identifying and reporting suspicious behavior known to be associated with terrorist activities.

"People need to be aware of their surroundings and what's normal and what's not," he said. "If something seems unusual, like a package with wires protruding from it or a strange vehicle that doesn't belong in a neighborhood, then the (Military Police) needs to be called."

Pamphlets with the iWatch logo will be distributed around post in the coming days, Whittaker said. These pamphlets contain helpful tips on spotting potential threats and what to do about those threats.

"We want everyone to take one of these pamphlets and familiarize themselves with the information inside," he said. "There are plenty of things people might not think to look for that are covered."

Whittaker added that sometimes suspicious activity might not seem obvious. When someone or something out of the ordinary is observed, it should be reported, no matter how small.

"We don't mind getting those calls that turn out to be false alarms," he said. "That's what we're here for. We're here to check out things that aren't supposed to be there."

Complacency is still a big issue when dealing with potential terrorism, he said. People should never assume everything is fine just because something hasn't happened before.

Some things he noted people should look for were suspicious packages left in places they didn't belong, cars or trucks in "no parking" zones in front of important buildings, chemical smells or fumes, people drawing or measuring important buildings and people asking questions about security procedures.

If any suspicious activity is observed, it should be reported to the MPs at 255-2222 or to the anti-terrorism officer at 255-3721.