Operation TIPS

Federal Government ^

[NoLongerLurker]

Operation TIPS, administered by the U.S. Department of Justice and developed in partnership with several other federal agencies, is one of the five component programs of the Citizen Corps. Operation TIPS will be a national system for reporting suspicious, and potentially terrorist-related activity. The program will involve the millions of American workers who, in the daily course of their work, are in a unique position to see potentially unusual or suspicious activity in public places.

The Department of Justice is discussing participation with several industry groups whose workers are ideally suited to help in the anti-terrorism effort because their routines allow them to recognize unusual events and have expressed a desire for a mechanism to report these events to authorities.

These workers will use their common sense and knowledge of their work environment to identify suspicious or unusual activity. This program offers a way for these workers to report what they see in public areas and along transportation routes.

All it will take to volunteer is a telephone or access to the Internet as tips can be reported on the toll-free hotline or online. Information received will be entered into the national database and referred electronically to a point of contact in each state as appropriate. This is not a national 911 center, and callers are expected to dial 911 for emergency local response.

Industries that are interested in participating in this program will be given printed guidance material, flyers and brochures, about the program and how to contact the Operation TIPS reporting center. This information can be distributed to workers or posted in common work areas. Operation TIPS is scheduled to be launched in late summer or early fall 2002. The goal of the program is to establish a reliable and comprehensive national system for reporting suspicious, and potentially terrorist-related, activity. By establishing one central reporting center, information from several different industries can be maintained in a single database. Operation TIPS will be phased in across the country to enable the system to build its capacity to receive an increasing volume of tips.

[NoLongerLurker]

Your furnace repair man sees your son's science project in the basement and reports that you are running a meth lab.

Your telephone repair man sees a book on your coffee table about the Muslim world and reports you as a terrorist threat.

They're planning on recruiting more snitches than the Stasi had in East Germany. Coming to ten cities in our fair land in August.

[cynicom]

Americas Gestapo in the making. It will take time but the foundation is there, all in the name of Homeland Security.

[freeeee]

LAND OF THE FREE SNITCH

HOME OF THE BRAVE FINK

[Phantom Lord]

A local talk show host was discussing this program, though he only did for a few minutes. He said that people who participate can get a 'sticker for their car'. His guest thought he was joking and making that up. He said he was not and was reading it off TIPS website.

I smell a job for Registered. What will this sticker look like?

[End Times Sentinel]

Your furnace repair man sees your son's science project in the basement and reports that you are running a meth lab.
Your telephone repair man sees a book on your coffee table about the Muslim world and reports you as a terrorist threat.

If that’s the case, you really don’t have a lot to worry about. You’d have every repair man, utility worker and truck driver in the country calling in 10 – 12 tips a day, all completely useless that would go into a huge, database, so polluted with misinformation, it wouldn’t be of use to anyone.

Owl_Eagle

”Guns Before Butter.”

[alpowolf]

It wouldn't be of any use for really stopping terrorists, but a database full of bulls**t rumors about every citizen can be quite useful when the feds want to railroad someone or simply destroy their reputation.

Hillary! must be rubbing her hands with glee...

[Consort]

An effective TIPS program can be useful during this rash of child kidnappings. There just aren't enough cops to do it all.

[warchild9]

I'm a very active wargamer, and have gobs of military books in my home library. Add to that the Third National hanging in my home office (over my right shoulder as I type this), and I'm off to Gestapo HQ on an anonymous tip. Come on, you Bush supporters, defend the Saintly President's action this time! Take the dare! I suspect you're just digging your heads further into the sand.

[Phantom Lord]

Your kidding right? The lack of a TIPS program is causing children to be kidnapped?

Are you suggesting that without a TIPS program people who see things and have information are not able to report what they see and know?

Come on...

[Consort]

Are you suggesting that without a TIPS program people who see things and have information are not able to report what they see and know?

Maybe with a TIPS program, those people who see things won't feel like they "don't want to get involved" and not make that call that could save a child. It happens — and one time is too many. TIPS can show people how to be more vigilant. If you don't like TIPS, then just don't participate. Start your own neighborhood crime watch or just watch MTV.

[weikel]

A permanent informer system is not neccasary to catch real criminals only neccassary for a gestapo.

[Phantom Lord]

TIPS will turn this country into nothing but rats. And there is no human lower than a rat.

[weikel]

Heil Dubya traitors to the Fatherland and our glorious leader George W Bush will be ferreted out by the Gestapo.

[kaktuskid]

What happened during WWII in this country? Are we not at war?

[weikel]

I agree( well serial killers and terrorist might be lower than rats but thats about it) they'll soon have children informing on their parents and other crap we don't need like some communist country.

[Consort]

A permanent informer system is not neccasary to catch real criminals only neccassary for a gestapo.

Ask any law enforcement official how important informers are in catching criminals and solving crimes. And, who said anything about "permanent"?

[freeeee]

soon have children informing on their parents

Ever heard of the DARE program?

[Phantom Lord]

What will be the penalties for falsely accusing someone and providing false information? I suspect nothing. And I also suspect that all information will be made in 'confidence' and when one is wrongly accused they will have no recourse and no method of finding out who lied about them.

Pissed off at your neighbor? No problem. Send the TIPS Patrol over to his house for a visit.

This is a bad idea with virtually no upside to it.

If we are a freedom loving country we would be up in arms over the slightest mention of such a program being a possibility.

How long before children are questioned by teachers and other authorities about their parents?

[weikel]

If someone sees something suspicious which might be connected with terrorism they can call and report it fine. You don't need informers for that. Special informers to infiltrate terrorist organizations are also useful. Employing ordinary people to just rat out everyhting they might deem suspicious or subversive will not help with either of the above type of categories it will however make setting up a secret police to suppress dissent pretty damn easy though.