MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - Operation Eagle Eyes started a website for Marines, Sailors and civilians to report suspicious criminal or terrorist activity.
At https://usmceagleeyes.org, anyone can select a stateside Marine installation and make a report concerning suspicious activity, which is then sent to security experts to review. If necessary, military law enforcement will act on the information.
“Security is everybody’s responsibility because we’re the eyes and ears of our community, especially here on base and even out in town,” said Henry A. Prutch, an anti-terrorism analyst at Cherry Point. “If we see something suspicious, there’s probably something not right about it, and we should report it.”
There are a number of indicators of potential terrorist or criminal activity. Individuals conducting surveillance of the installation or its facilities with binoculars, cell phones, video or photos, could signal potential threats. Also, people asking detailed questions about installation security, personnel numbers or deployments timelines could be gathering information for an attack.
“Most of the time, terrorism isn’t uncovered by law enforcement; it’s usually uncovered by a private citizen who notices something out of place,” said Prutch. “Around the barracks, in base housing, even out in town where you live, you’ll notice if something is out of place and doesn’t seem right.”
Prutch said military law enforcement does a good job of looking out for criminal activity and potential terrorist threats, but they cannot be everywhere or see everything. He said that after some incidents, witnesses recall seeing someone acting suspiciously but fail to report it. In many cases, police may have been able to intervene before incidents occurred.
“If you don’t have proper security, people can slip through,” said Prutch. “For here on base, it’s really for all of our safety, not only the active duty Marines, but we’ve got base housing and Marine families living here; we’ve got civilians who work here. So it’s for our protection, and also for national security.”