Replies

That reminds me of the remarks made by the police in Hamilton County OH a few months ago -

Terror alert issued for Tri-State residents
Source: WLWT news | 9:11:25 PM

CINCINNATI -- Tri-state police are alerting citizens of a new terror warning, WLWT News 5's Juliette Vara reported.

While the alert level remains at elevated, Cincinnati police chief and Hamilton County sheriff sent a letter to local media asking for help to alert citizens that now is the most crucial time to fight terrorism.

Some citizens have questioned why the Tri-state is at risk for an attack, but authorities said the Midwest could be a larger target than New York City or Washington D.C.

"It's harder for them (terrorists) to assault (hard) targets," said Steve Barnett, of the Hamilton County Sheriff's office. "Possibly, they would go after a soft target."

According to experts, the Tri-state is full of potential targets like financial buildings, busy streets and crowded buses, Vara reported.

"There is not hard evidence that Cincinnati is a target, but we don't want people to get lazy," Barnett said.

Authorities said the reason the alert was issued is because 2004 is an election year.

Officials are asking citizens to be aware of suspicious activity like people loitering in certain areas and videotaping, sketching or photographing certain locations or buildings.

Citizens should also be aware of random bags or cars left unattended.

Some officials urge residents to be on guard because terrorism can happen anywhere.

"People don't think it'll happen in a small community, but that's the best place to hide," said Ed Apfel, of Neighborhood Watch.

While recognizing suspicious activity is the first step, the most important thing is to report the person to police. Officials urge citizens to call authorities to report anything out of the ordinary.