For Immediate Release
DHS Press Office
Contact: 202-282-8010
NEW YORK—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today joined representatives from Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and National Football League at the NASDAQ in New York’s Times Square to unveil a new sports Public Service Announcement (PSA) as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) “If You See Something, Say Something™” public awareness campaign. The PSA will reach millions of sports fans, throughout the year, in stadiums nationwide.
“Homeland security begins with hometown security 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™’ sports public service announcement encourages everyone to work together to ensure the safety and security of employees, players, and fans at sporting venues and events across the nation.”
The new “If You See Something, Say Something™” sports PSA features baseball, soccer, basketball, football and hockey referees, and informs viewers about how to notify authorities regarding potential threats. The PSA will be played at sports venues across the country, on television stations and websites. The PSA is 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 and terrorism-related crime to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.
The Department launched the “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative—an administration effort to train state and local law enforcement to recognize behaviors and indicators related to terrorism and terrorism-related crime; 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 and fusion centers for analysis.
Recent expansions of the “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign include partnerships with numerous sports teams and leagues, transportation agencies, private sector partners, states, municipalities, and colleges and universities. DHS also has “If You See Something, Say Something™” Public Service Announcements which have been distributed to television and radio stations across the country.
DHS will continue to expand the “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign nationally to ensure 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.
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