For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
Orlando, Fla. — Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today visited Orlando, Fla., to deliver remarks to law enforcement personnel from across the nation about continuing and expanding partnerships between DHS and state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement to combat evolving threats of terrorism at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Annual Conference.
"Today's threats put state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement around the country on the front lines of our counterterrorism effort in unprecedented ways," said Secretary Napolitano. "DHS is committed to getting resources, information and tools out of Washington, D.C. and into the hands of these brave men and women across the nation to combat new and evolving threats and keep our communities and our country safe."
In her remarks, Secretary Napolitano underscored that individuals prepared to carry out terrorist acts may carry out violence with little or no warning, requiring DHS and all of its law enforcement partners to adapt quickly to a rapidly evolving threat environment. She emphasized that the experience and skills state and local enforcement bring to fighting violent crime every day can be leveraged to counter threats like domestic terrorism, as homeland security begins with hometown security.
Secretary Napolitano also emphasized the Department's joint efforts with the Justice Department to expand the nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative—an Administration effort to train state and local law enforcement to recognize behaviors and indicators related to specific threats and terrorism-related crime; standardize how those observations are documented, vetted and analyzed; and expand and enhance the sharing of those reports with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and DHS. This initiative is being implemented in partnership with state and local officials across the nation and has been launched in 19 locations.
She also highlighted the national expansion of DHS' "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign—a simple and effective program to raise public awareness of indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats and emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.
Secretary Napolitano also underscored the vital role of the approximately 800,000 law enforcement officers at the federal, tribal, and local level, commending the sacrifice and commitment made by these men and women every day to secure our country.
For more information, visit www.dhs.gov.
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