BARSTOW, Calif. - As employees and residents of Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, we each have varying responsibilities … almost no two are alike; however, one responsibility we all have in common is that of protecting our installation and the surrounding community.
The tragedy that occurred in Boston last week is a stark reminder that as a community, as a nation, we move swiftly and are prepared to respond to tragedy, but we also have a duty to try and prevent such horrors from taking place as well. It’s events like these that keep the threat of terrorism and domestic unwarranted violence in the minds of everyone.
Since 2006, Eagle Eyes, an MCLB Barstow initiative, has enlisted the eyes and ears of uniformed members, civilian employees, and families and friends, to keep an eye out for suspicious activity, in an effort to thwart threats or attacks against installations, personnel, and the surrounding community.
“Simply put, Eagle Eyes is a reporting tool for the community,” said James Jones, the anti-terrorism officer with the Mission Assurance Division on the base.
In fact, one of the pillars of readiness is to prevent incidents from happening, said Jones.
Looking back at the tragic events in Boston, someone had to have seen another person putting a backpack down and walking away from it – leaving it unattended.
“Why would somebody just leave their backpack?” asked Jones. “We must be willing to ask ourselves those types of questions … that is being aware.”
The community watch program asks people to report suspicious activity by calling 1-877-356-3937 or by going online and filling out some basic information such as location, and description of activity and persons involved. The website is: www.usmceagleeyes.org. Submitting information on the smart phone friendly site isn’t time consuming, it takes approximately five minutes to complete the form.
“Mission Assurance needs to be aware of incidents. We review information and attempt to fit it together like pieces of a puzzle,” said Jones.
With the aggregate of information, Mission Assurance begins processing and assessing the facts and other data in an effort to improve security on the base.
“It provides us a full picture of what could potentially happen,” said Jones, highlighting various agencies’ role in frequent scenerio - based discussions.
“Communications has a part because of cyber-attacks, I&L has input because they are responsible for the infrastructures on base,” said Jones.
Protecting our community and being vigilant isn’t just for people with a security background.
“People have an extreme sense of comfort and safety in this country,” said Jones. “After 9/11, our sense of awareness was heightened. We recognize turmoil in the Middle East, but it wasn’t until it (terrorism), touched us domestically, that our perspective changed.”
Jones urges the use of Eagle Eyes when something seems unsettling or out of place.
“If you see a package unattended, someone loitering around the installation or anything that makes you think ‘hmmm…’ call the number or visit the website.”
“People who mean to do harm, research their targets. They ‘case the place’. They are looking to exploit the vulnerabilities within an organization,” said Jones. “If something seems out of place, report it.”
If 99 percent of calls turn out to be nothing, that 1 percent could save a life. Both detecting and reporting suspicious activities are important, and with a well-informed community, terrorist or criminal acts can be deterred, detected, or defeated.
“If you saw someone loitering around your curb or driveway at home, you would call someone to check it out, or check it out yourself … you wouldn’t ignore it,” said Jones. “That same attitude needs to be instituted and fostered on the base.”
Remember, report suspicious activity by calling 1-877-356-3937 or by going online at: www.usmceagleeyes.org.
| Date Taken: | 05.02.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 05.02.2013 13:30 |
| Story ID: | 106221 |
| Location: | BARSTOW , CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 68 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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