LAX will start passing out pamphlets requesting travelers report suspicious behavior and signs, such as bags or cars left unattended. Also to bring to police attention people who are drawing buildings or asking security related questions.
Los Angeles ranks as one of the top terrorist targets in the U.S., according to its mayor.
iWATCH has been described as an updated neighborhood watch program which focuses on detecting events that may be part of a terror plot. iWATCH seeks to educate citizens to be alert to suspicious activities and report such activities to the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) for investigation.
The iWATCH program is part of a bigger program supported by the U.S. Department of Justice to create a nationwide standard for reporting of suspicious activity by law enforcement officers. This program is known as NSI (National Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative), and is being rolled out to 72 cities in the U.S.
This program is based on behaviors and is not based on race, color, or ethnicity.Great care has been taken to describe the program so that it is politically correct in all communities. Racism has always been the argument for trying to stop any program which profiles individuals in an effort to pick out those who seem to be on a mission other than a peaceful, or upstanding mission.
The LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) engaged religious and ethnic advocacy groups prior to defining 24 indicators of suspicious activity that the public should report to authorities. Safeguards have been built into the program to allow outside audits and prevent innocent people from being falsely accused.